Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at WEL, Inc., 101 Old Princeton Road, BLUEFIELD, WEST VIRGINIA 24701
on — Amputations, affecting the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified.
Final narrative
On September 24, 2021, at approximately 2:30 p.m., two employees were clearing weeds and brush from the exterior of the shop building. The employees found several pieces of a small, cord-like material and brought them inside the shop to investigate. An employee attempted to cut into the material with a grinder. The material turned out to be a detonation cord that exploded when it touched the grinder. One employee suffered amputations to fingers on his left hand and was hospitalized. The second employee suffered cuts, as a result of the explosion and shrapnel.
An employee was sitting in the cab of the truck while waste oxidizer was being offloaded. The waste reacted with the receiving tank and an explosion occurred in the tank. Fire traveled through the hose to the tanker truck, causing it to explode. The employee jumped from the burning truck and was hospitalized with burns to his face, chest, and arms.
An employee was installing piping and valves for fire protection systems in the vicinity of an electrical meter outside of a new warehouse. The meter exploded, causing burns to the employee's face and arms.
An employee was pouring molten aluminum into a drain pot. The aluminum touched moisture at the bottom of the drain pot and an explosion occurred. The employee sustained burns to their face, hands, and legs.
An employee was operating an oxygen-deficient oven that required manual ignition to make charcoal from wood. As the oven was opened, oxygen was introduced to the environment, resulting in an explosion. The employee sustained head trauma as well as fractures to the arms and legs.
An employee was setting up the electrical parts for a fireworks display. They were inserting an e-match when it generated friction with something else. A 3-inch firework shell ignited, injuring the employee's hand and head.
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.
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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.
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An employee was conducting routine maintenance on a mixer. New lid pins had been installed, and the employee was rotating by hand to ensure they had been installed correctly. The employee's left middle finger was caught between the lid and top of a pin. The momentum from the mixer continued, causing a crushing injury to the finger. The employee underwent a medical amputation from the top knuckle to the tip of the finger.
An employee was climbing down a 15-foot multipurpose ladder. The employee fell about 8 feet, landing on the concrete floor and the ladder itself. The employee suffered several injuries, all on the right side: broken ribs, a broken sternum, a broken temporal bone, broken shoulder, multiple fractures to the cheekbone, and a brain bleed.
An employee was rolling up the landing gear on his trailer when the handle began to unwind and struck his face, fracturing his jaw. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.