Ignition of vapors, gases, or liquids · Second degree heat (thermal) burns
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Waste Management Inc. of Florida, 11051 43rd Street North, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA 33762
on — Second degree heat (thermal) burns, affecting the face, unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee was using a plasma torch to cut the lid off an empty drum of brake cleaner when sparks from the torch ignited fumes in the barrel. The employee suffered second degree burns on the left side of his face.
An employee was working a residential garbage route. While loading garbage onto a rear-load garbage truck, the employee experienced cramping and became disoriented due to heat. The employee was hospitalized for dehydration.
On September 23, 2023, an employee was cleaning near a conveyor when they knelt with their right knee on the floor. Their knee contacted a small piece of glass on the floor, resulting in a laceration that required hospitalization.
An employee had worked all day as a rear-load garbage truck driver, loader, and off loader. After returning home, he began experiencing cramps and was hospitalized, suffering from heat-related muscle injury.
An employee's right foot and leg were caught in in the hydraulic packing system of a rear-load garbage truck. The employee sustained injuries to the foot and leg.
An employee was riding on the back step of a garbage truck. The truck hit a pothole and the employee fell to the ground, suffering a spinal contusion and weakness in the upper limbs.
An employee was cleaning a cordless drill. As they applied brake fluid to the drill and pulled the trigger, the fluid ignited. The employee suffered burns to the face, hands, and arms.
An employee was spraying glue to the floor of an enclosed cargo trailer. The fumes made contact with the heater causing a flash fire. The employee suffered burns to their face and right hand.
An employee was replacing a valve in the gas line to the fryer. The shutoff valve malfunctioned resulting in a gas leak that then ignited. The employee sustained burns requiring hospitalization.
An employee was driving an ATV when it overturned and rolled onto its side. The employee sustained a fractured elbow requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was elevating an auger when the auger shifted. He went to stop the auger from shifting when it struck him, resulting in injuries to his left ankle and pelvic bone.
An employee was training to use an industrial shredding machine. While he was dumping a box, the pulley on a conveyor caught the tongue of his right shoe and pulled his third toe into a pinch point between the conveyor belt and the pulley drive. The employee sustained an amputation to their toe.
An employee was pushing a baler door that weighed about 500 pounds closed. A pair of wire cutters fell between the door and the baler wall. The employee was retrieving the wire cutters when the door closed, crushing the employee's right index finger against the baler wall and causing a partial amputation to the finger.
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.