Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Casella Recycling LLC, 24 Bunker HIll Industrial Park, CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS 02129
on — Puncture wounds, except gunshot wounds, affecting the eye(s).
Final narrative
An employee was walking along a platform when a drill bit, being used nearby, broke and sent a steel shard into the employee's left eye. The employee suffered a cut retina.
An employee was replacing the worn paddles of an airlock on a platform. A coworker on a platform 60 feet away jogged an airlock on his platform and inadvertently hit a second button that started the airlock on the employee's platform. The employee's left hand was then amputated between the airlock paddle and a wear bar.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 562920)
An employee was working on a loading ramp that was stuck open (upright). The employee went under the ramp to release it. When he pulled on a chain that was holding the ramp open, the ramp came down rapidly, striking the right side of his face (cheek) and the right side of his neck. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was cutting off bracing from an 8 x 12' metal wall when the wall fell, striking the employee on their side and back. The employee sustained bruised ribs and two fractures in their back.
A driver was climbing the rear trailer ladder to facilitate tarping when they lost balance, slipped, and fell approximately 6-8 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a fractured wrist.
An employee fell while exiting a trailer. The employee landed on their left side on the pavement, suffering multiple broken ribs on the left side. The employee was hospitalized.
Two employees were setting up a mandrel in the spindle of a machine. The mandrel was side-shifted while an employee's hand was on the mast of a powered industrial truck. The employee suffered crushing injuries that resulted in amputations to the middle and ring fingertips.
An employee had been loading a double deck press. The employee saw a mold had been sent in with the C-hook still attached on the belly bar. As he went to remove the hook from the mold, his right thumb got caught on the C-hook. The employee's thumb was partially amputated.
An employee was operating a roller and paving a small pathway next to a pavilion. The ground was on a slight pitch, causing him to reach up toward the roll cage to stabilize himself. His right fifth finger was pinched between the roll cage and the rafter of the pavilion. The employee sustained a partial degloving injury with partial traumatic amputation.
An employee was delivering home heating fuel when bees came from the ground and stung the employee's face, neck, torso, and hands. The employee proceeded to shut off the oil flow before losing consciousness. They were hospitalized due to an anaphylactic reaction.