Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Bridgestone Retail Operations, 7807 N Wickham Rd, MELBOURNE, FLORIDA 32940
on — Puncture wounds, except gunshot wounds, affecting the eye(s).
Final narrative
An employee was using an air hammer to remove a wheel bearing. A piece of metal passed behind his safety glasses and embedded itself in his right eye.
HospitalizedEye(s)Metal chips, particles
More severe injuries at Bridgestone Retail Operations
An employee was climbing a ladder when the ladder slipped, causing him to fall approximately 8 to 10 feet to the ground. He landed on his left leg, resulting in a broken tibia and fibula and a dislocated ankle.
An employee was using a machine to change a tire when his thumb got caught in the machine as it mechanically lowered to break the tire bead from the rim. The employee suffered an amputation of the tip of his left them.
An employee was putting up a banner with bungee cords from a ladder when the bungee cord broke and snapped into the employee. He then fell from the ladder and hit his head on the extended arm of an automotive hoist, suffering a head laceration and blunt trauma.
An employee was mounting a car tire to a rim when his right index finger was caught between the tire, the rim, and a duck face component while the tire was rotating. His right index fingertip was removed leaving the bone exposed.
An employee was tossing a damaged toilet into a compactor. The toilet bounced off the compactor and lacerated the employee's right wrist, cutting an artery and tendon.
An employee was operating a hydraulic jack to bend a frame when the jack came loose and struck the employee. They were hospitalized for a spleen injury.
A truck had been towed into the shop with a flat tire and a blown airbag. An employee checked the tire for damage and was airing the tire. The employee was installing the valve core when the bead slipped off the rim. Air escaped, and the aluminum wheel struck the employee's head and face. The employee became unresponsive and was bleeding.
On December 14, 2023, at 8:40 p.m., three employees were inspecting milling machines for startup. A few of the sleeves on the mill drum needed to be changed out. The injured employee was trying to input a sleeve on the mill drum using a hammer. The hammer hit the edge of the drum, which caused a metal piece to splinter off and strike the employee's cheek just below the left eye. The metal splinter embedded in the back of their eye socket, resulting in pain, swelling, and bleeding that required hospitalization.
An employee was pushing a line of carts into a vestibule when the door cable snapped and struck his right ankle. The employee suffered a fracture that required surgery and hospitalization.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 441320)
An employee was replacing a tire on a wheelbarrow when the tire exploded. The employee sustained fractures to his right hand and an abrasion to the right side of his face. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery on his right hand.
An employee was guiding a customer's automobile onto the alignment rack when the vehicle drove over the rack and pinned the employee against the alignment computer. The employee sustained a bruised left hand and a fractured left fibula and was hospitalized.
An employee was working on a cushion ring (steel). As they lifted the cushion ring with both hands to flip it up, the ring slid down and the employee's right middle fingertip was crushed between the ring and the work table. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture, and their right middle fingertip was amputated.
An employee was returning to their truck after collecting a check for a delivery of tires. As they were shutting the door on the back of their box truck they were struck by an electric all-terrain vehicle that was being serviced, resulting in a fractured left ankle, fractured elbow with bone through the skin, and fractured pelvis.
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.