Struck by discharged object or substance · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at United Refining Company, 15 Bradley Street, WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA 16365
on — Fractures, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was transferring water from the frac tank/settling tank to another tank. The transfer continued until sludge built up in the pipe. The employee then had to clear the sludge from the pipe. The employee blew the line out using nitrogen, at 40 to 50-pounds, then heard a leak coming from a cam-lock connection. The employee was securing the broken cam-lock mechanism when a plug shot out of the pipe and broke the employee's finger. The employee was hospitalized for surgery.
An employee was troubleshooting a hydraulic hose he had just replaced on a railroad tugger to make sure it wasn't leaking when the base of his right index and middle fingers were exposed to high pressure hydraulic fluid from the leak. The pressurized fluid punctured his skin and he sustained inflammation from his hand up into his upper arm. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
While working in the Rigger Shop, an employee was using channel lock pliers to disconnect two pieces of pipe that were bolted together. The pipe was raised by a crane. When the top bolt was removed, a portion of the pipe was pulled upward, and the other portion fell to floor. The employee's finger was pinched between lower handle of pliers and the portion of pipe supported by the crane. The employee suffered an amputation to his left ring finger.
Employees were performing maintenance on a fertilizer truck loading arm when the spring tensioner released, allowing the arm to drop and strike an employee who was offering guidance and observing the work. The employee was struck on the head and knocked down.
An employee was installing wood trim surrounding a skylight inside a home. While holding a piece of trim in it's desired location, his pneumatic nail gun discharged, sending a 3/4-inch pin nail into his left forearm.
An employee removed a safety valve on a trailer that unknowingly contained nitrogen gas. The gas released from the trailer and pushed the employee backward off a scaffold approximately 10 feet before they struck a garage door, resulting in a pelvic injury.
An employee was sitting at her workstation when a nail gun malfunctioned and shot a nail into her left leg. She suffered a puncture and blood vessel injury and was hospitalized.
On November 25, 2023, an employee was using a high-pressured water hose to perform sewer line cleaning operations. The employee's right little finger and palm were lacerated by pressurized water from the hose.
An employee was ascending an 8-foot aluminum extension ladder to access and replace a hypochlorite pump located on top of a 7-foot chemical tank. When he reached approximately 5 feet on the ladder, the ladder shifted and twisted to the right. The employee fell from the ladder and landed on his right side. The employee sustained a compound fracture to his right leg just above the ankle, dislocation of his shoulder, and a torn rotator cuff. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was taking a butane gas sample as part of the hydrocarbon refining process. A component disconnected and the butane ignited, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to the employee's forearms and to their face, including their cheeks, chin, and neck.
An employee was driving a carry deck/small crane when its boom made contact with an overhead support beam. The employee was jostled in the cab and suffered a concussion.
An employee was inventorying hammer mill screens when the screens fell on the employee. The employee sustained a laceration to their leg requiring hospitalization.
An ironworker was maneuvering a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) into position to install a structural beam. The employee was pinned between another structural steel beam that was already installed and the MEWP control box cover. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration to their lip, dislodged teeth, and a fractured jaw.
An employee was walking into the motor control center (MCC) room when his right ring finger was caught in the hinge of a doorway. He sustained an open phalanx fracture, which resulted in a partial amputation above the first knuckle.
An employee was changing the spacing on a telehandler's forks. A fork slipped, and the employee's left index finger was caught between it and the mast. The fingertip was medically amputated at the first knuckle.
An employee was pulling down a broken skid with a forklift. When the employee backed up the forklift to get the forks out of the skid he pulled down, he contacted the forks of another parked forklift, fracturing both of his legs. He was hospitalized.
An employee was carrying cups back to the kitchen when her foot got caught on a cart and she fell face-first. During the fall, a piece of glass from a cup cut the inside of her mouth, severing an artery. She also sustained a laceration on her lower lip. The employee was hospitalized.