Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at STERICYCLE, INC., 45 Algonquin Avenue, SARANAC LAKE, NEW YORK 12983
on — Fractures, affecting the ankle(s).
Final narrative
An employee slipped on ice and fell to the sidewalk, suffering a broken left ankle.
An employee was cutting pieces of a conveyor belt when a piece became caught on the saw. The employee sustained lacerations to their left index and middle fingers, resulting in amputation of the middle fingertip.
An employee was exiting a truck when a 200-gallon container rolled behind him and struck him on the back of his leg. The employee sustained a tendon injury that required surgery.
An employee was walking in a customer parking lot when he slipped on ice and fell, hitting the back of his head on the ground. The employee suffered a skull fracture and a herniated disk in his neck.
An employee was using a lift gate to load medical waste containers into the cargo area of a box truck. He fell approximately 4 feet to the pavement, suffering a closed fracture to a lower-back vertebra and a head injury.
An employee was operating the lift gate on his truck to stow it away, when he slipped on ice/water, catching his left thumb on the lift gate. His thumb tip was amputated directly beneath the fingernail.
An employee was working in the forest flagging an area to be harvested. He took a step and his foot slipped on a stick hidden under the leaves, causing him to fall to the ground. He landed on his right foot/lower leg resulting in a fractured tibia.
An employee was inspecting an apartment to ensure it was ready for a new resident to move in. The carpet in the apartment had been recently cleaned and was still wet. As the employee went from the carpet to the tiled floor of the bathroom, they slipped and fell, resulting in a torn left hamstring.
An employee was delivering a letter along a rural carrier route when she stepped on an ice-covered snow drift, slipped, and fell to the ground. The employee sustained a right hip fracture that required surgery.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561990)
An employee was performing flagging operations on a closed road. A postal vehicle was allowed onto the road to make a delivery. The employee was struck by the postal vehicle as it was backing up, resulting in a broken leg.
An employee was walking and taking post-locate photos. He stepped on a ceramic drainage tile and his foot/leg punched through the tile. His leg was lacerated by the broken tile. The employee was hospitalized with internal bleeding due to a punctured femoral artery.
Employees were preparing to place a section of metal grating measuring approximately 50" x 18" and weighing 40 to 50 lbs. The injured employee grabbed the grating to pull it toward himself and another employee was moving to the other side to assist with the lift. As the injured employee pulled, his right foot slipped and twisted. He was hospitalized with a fractured right leg.
An employee was in their personal vehicle awaiting instructions from the construction contractor on posting traffic cones. The driver of a motor vehicle swerved to avoid a steel plate in the roadway and struck the employee's car. The employee was hospitalized with four fractured ribs.
An employee was operating a battery-powered broom to clean demolition debris off the top of the outermost bridge girder. The girder was approximately 11 feet above the demolition scaffold below. The employee fell approximately 8 feet to wind bracing below. The employee was hospitalized with a pelvis/tailbone fracture. Fall protection was in place at the time.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
An employee was directing trucks as they entered and left a highway work zone. A vehicle struck them, resulting in multiple fractures and other injuries. The employee was hospitalized.