Exposure to environmental heat · Effects of heat and light, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at American Electric Power, 158 West FM 1925, EDINBURG, TEXAS 78539
on — Effects of heat and light, unspecified, affecting the bODY SYSTEMS.
Final narrative
While performing cleanup operations at a job site, an employee became ill due to direct sun exposure, requiring hospitalization for heat stress.
An employee was walking back to a powerline to inspect the location of an upcoming job when they slipped on ice and fell to the ground, resulting in fractured ribs that required hospitalization.
An employee was trying to unfasten a power utility pole secured to a ride-on digger derrick. In order to loosen the ratchet strap that secured the easement machine, he placed his right hand on the ratchet mechanism and his left hand on the metal pole rack. While he was pushing away from his body with his right hand to loosen the strap, the pole came free from the strap, shifted, and caught the employee's left hand against the pole rack. The employee's index finger was amputated from the nailbed to the tip.
An employee was smoothing a metal plate using a bench grinder when the end of their thumb was caught between the material and the grinding wheel. The employee sustained a partial amputation (approximately 25 percent) of their left thumb.
An employee was climbing to fix a transformer that was placed on a trailer when he slipped. His foot got wedged and his left leg was fractured above the knee and required surgery.
On June 21, 2017, at approximately 2:45 p.m., an employee was removing a 4-inch water valve from a line when the employee's right pinky finger was pinched between the valve and pipe, amputating it just above the first knuckle.
An employee was performing finishing work on a residential driveway when they began to experience body cramps and were hospitalized for heat stress and dehydration.
An agent was participating in SWAT team selection and was performing various physical fitness skills including running and exercise intervals. The agent experienced dehydration and a muscular injury that required hospitalization.
On September 26, 2023, an employee was delivering packages when he began to feel ill with a pain in his side. He was hospitalized for heat exhaustion and dehydration.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 221119)
Employees were preparing to replace a primary electrical cable. While two of the employees were working to remove the cable on one side of a switchgear, they came into contact with a wrench and the outside part of the switchgear. One employee suffered an electrical shock.
An employee was installing personal protective grounds at a substation when their hand contacted the end of the ground that was not energized, but induced voltage was created by wind and shocked them. This resulted in a burn on their thumb.
At about 9:35 a.m. on March 18, 2024, an employee was conducting maintenance on a non-operational fan controller in a switchgear room. The employee pulled the controller and began installing a new one. The employee was electrocuted, suffering third-degree burns to the right hand and fingers as well as burns to the right forearm, and was hospitalized.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.