Direct exposure to electricity, unspecified · Electrical burns, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at US Ecology, 901 North State Street, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 13208
on — Electrical burns, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
An employee was cleaning debris in a confined space (vault). Electric power surged through wires, and the employee was burned.
An employee was removing a door sheet for a pitch containment tank. The employee was struck by the steel door and sustained multiple contusions, bruises, and soft tissue injuries requiring hospitalization.
An employee was driving a powered industrial truck when it struck a pillar. The employee was ejected and his head came into contact with the structure of the truck. He suffered a head injury and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was installing a 15-amp breaker in an electrical panel when a 12-gauge ground wire touched the positive busbar of the panel, resulting in an arc flash. The employee sustained a second-degree burn to their left hand.
An employee was repairing an HVAC system in the drop tile ceiling of a conference room when they were shocked, causing them to fall from the ladder. The employee sustained burns to their right middle and ring fingers.
An employee was replacing a contactor inside an electrical panel attached directly to a press. The press itself was receiving power from another main panel. After replacing the contactor, the employee flipped the switch and an arc flash occurred, burning the employee's elbow, bicep, and neck.
An employee was attempting to switch a medium-voltage primary cable and install a 200-amp fuse barrel. The employee contacted the bottom of the switch gear cradle for the fuse barrel, causing an arc blast. The electricity entered the employee s left hand and exited his big toes, resulting in electric shock and burns to the left hand, arm, shoulder, and both feet. The employee was hospitalized.
On December 6, 2023, an employee of Duke Energy was working on a single-phase 120-/240-volt parallel service re-tap when a secondary flash occurred in an underground service. The employee suffered a second-degree burn to the face and was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 562910)
An employee was working to assess the operation of a high-pressure water nozzle. The water system was activated and the employee was cut by high pressure water on his left hand where the palm meets the wrist. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to push items in a trailer dumpster with his feet; his back was against a building wall. He fell to the concrete ground, resulting in fractures.
An employee was guiding a high-pressure water hose through a 4-inch gap on a horizontal condensing tube when the hose blew apart. The hose left the opening and the fitting at the end of it struck the employee on the side of his face. The employee sustained blunt force trauma to the left side of his head, including a laceration from his left temple through his ear.
On July 24, 2025, an employee was shoveling material when a piece of steel slag fell from a nearby furnace and struck them in the back. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their thoracic vertebrae and a metatarsal.
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.