Struck by object or equipment dropped by injured worker · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Southwest Airlines Co., 1340 N. Outer Loop Road, ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30337
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee had just removed an aircraft tire and was walking it to the tire rack. Another employee tossed the employee a tool, which caused the employee to drop the tire. The tire landed on the employee's right leg, breaking the fibula and tibia.
An employee was handling bags and placing them onto a conveyor belt. The employee's glove was caught by the conveyor belt and their hand was pulled into the belt, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On June 5, 2025, an employee was walking between baggage carts attached to a tug when the tug began driving forward. The employee was dragged for a short distance and sustained a dislocated shoulder, a displaced fracture to his arm, and a fractured knee with a shattered kneecap.
An employee was performing ramping operations which includes loading/unloading luggage into and out of planes. The employee started cramping due to heat and was hospitalized for dehydration.
An employee had just finished unloading baggage from inside an airliner's cargo bin. The employee exited the bin area, stood up, and then fell to the concrete ground about 4 1/2 feet below. The employee suffered a broken right hip.
An employee was instructing an agent on the spacing of an airplane catering truck when she slipped off the front bumper of the truck, extending her arm to brace herself for impact with the pavement. The employee suffered a dislocated and broken wrist with nerve damage.
An employee was clearing a jam on the airport baggage system conveyor when his left leg became caught between slats of the conveyor. The employee sustained fractures and tissue damage to his lower leg, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was helping offload an aircraft. She was standing in the opening between a parked cart and an unoccupied aircraft tug when another vehicle struck a stationary bag cart, which then struck her. The employee suffered a skull fracture near the right eye, a right kneecap fracture, a nose fracture, and sinus damage, as well as soft tissue damage to the left calf and hip. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was working to refuel a truck. While handling the fuel hose(s), she experienced pain in her stomach. After completing the task, the employee drove back to the pad and the movement aggravated her abdominal pain. The employee was hospitalized with an abdominal sprain/strain.
An employee was on a jetway overseeing the operation. As the jet bridge was retracted, the employee's left arm was caught between the jet bridge side walls. The employee sustained a degloving to their left forearm.
An employee was descending a fixed ladder on the side of a container loader. The employee fell from the ladder, landing on the ground about 6-8 feet below and sustained fractures to their back and pelvis.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.