Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet · Fractures and other injuries, n.e.c.
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Wright Tree Service, PO BOX 1718 , DES MOINES, IOWA 50306
on — Fractures and other injuries, n.e.c., affecting the head and trunk.
Final narrative
On April 6, 2020, an employee climbed a 25-foot pine tree to complete routine maintenance trimming on a two-phase powerline. The employee completed the work on the southwest side of the tree, passed through the center, and began to reposition to the northeast side of the tree. While the employee was repositioning, the limb that he had his work positioning lanyard attached to failed and the employee fell approximately 20 feet to the ground, landing on his back near the base of the tree. The employee was hospitalized with a ruptured diaphragm, collapsed lung, multiple lumbar and thoracic fractures, laceration of the spleen, epidural hematoma, right renal contusion, and multiple rib fractures.
An employee had left his truck to look at the road. A dog jumped a fence; as the employee turned to escape it, his foot got caught in the sand he was standing on. The twisting motion broke his femur.
While climbing a chain link fence to reach equipment, an employee lost balance and fell backwards onto a residential plant stand, suffering back lacerations.
An employee was transitioning from a ladder onto a roof when the ladder slipped and they fell approximately 20 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their pelvis and heel.
An employee was climbing a ladder to bring material onto a roof. The ladder slid and the employee fell 16 feet to the ground, resulting in a broken knee.
An employee was performing an inspection of a bridge crane while working from a 19-foot scissor lift. The employee was going to use a pendant to move the crane to access a different portion of the crane for visual inspection. The scissor lift guard rails were below the girder of the crane to avoid contact. The tow arm for the crane collectors contacted the guardrail of the scissor lift and caused it to tip over. The employee stayed inside the scissor lift basket as he fell to the floor. The employee sustained fractures to the right arm and hip.
An employee was on a forklift that was elevated approximately 20 feet and was auditing inventory. The forklift malfunctioned and the employee fell down to the surface below, causing them to sustain multiple fractures.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561730)
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An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood when the saw cut his thumb, index, and middle fingers. His index finger was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
On September 29, 2025, a rural mail carrier was delivering parcels to a business when she tripped on a parking stop block in front of the business. She fell to the ground and sustained fractures to her left hip and pelvis. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was walking to the back door of the post office when they slipped on the icy ground due to freezing rain and fell. The employee sustained a torn rotator cuff in their right shoulder and a fractured right hip.
An employee was on top of an APC to access a radio on a shelf when they slipped and fell to the ground. They sustained three fractured ribs, a fractured right scapula and right clavicle, a knot on top of their head, and a laceration to their left leg.