Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Publix Supermarkets, Inc., 6767 US HWY 98N, LAKELAND, FLORIDA 33809
on — Fractures, affecting the hip(s).
Final narrative
An employee slipped or tripped and fell on the floor, resulting in a fractured left hip.
On May 27, 2025, at approximately 12:30 a.m., an employee was operating a forklift and taking down merchandise. The forklift struck a rack and the employee sustained a fractured right arm. She was hospitalized.
An employee was climbing a 10-foot fixed ladder while carrying a small box in one hand. The employee fell from the seventh step to the floor of the back room and sustained a right ankle fracture.
An employee was closing the door of a safe when his finger was pinched between the door and the frame. The employee sustained a left middle fingertip amputation.
An employee was walking behind the store with another associate to get paperwork from the delivery driver when she fell on the walkway and sustained a leg fracture that required surgery.
An employee was adjusting the forks on a forklift when a fork detached from the forklift. The employee jumped out of the way but fell on the concrete floor. The employee was hospitalized with a broken hip.
Employee 1 was investigating a gas odor. While employee 1 was checking the equipment, a gas explosion occurred, resulting in a fire that burned the employee's face. Employee 2 entered the area and a second explosion occurred, causing burns to their face and arms. Employee 2 was hospitalized.
An employee tripped while walking from one store register station to another. Her forehead struck a register, and she suffered fractures to two vertebrae in her neck. She was hospitalized.
An employee was stocking and ordering the meat case on the sales floor when he slipped and fell due to water on the floor. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured ankle and required surgery.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.