Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at REPUBLIC SERVICES, 1220 S BROOKSIDE AVE, INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI 64052
on — Soreness, pain, hurt-nonspecified injury, affecting the back, including spine, spinal cord, unspecified.
Final narrative
An employee sustained back pain while installing a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) filter on a trash truck.
HospitalizedBack, including spine, spinal cord, unspecifiedNonclassifiable
On June 24, 2025, at 3:25 p.m., an employee had just finished dumping his truck at the recycling facility when they took a break in their truck. They began to experience signs of heat-related illness and left the cab of the truck before temporarily losing consciousness and collapsing. The employee was hospitalized due to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and acute kidney distress.
An employee was servicing the compactor. They were reconnecting the turnbuckle on a receiver box when the turnbuckle slipped and fell, crushing the employee's left middle fingertip. The employee was hospitalized for surgery.
An employee was tarping and strapping down a garbage container when they slipped on broken glass on the floor and fell. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder and a brain bleed.
On September 25, 2023, an employee was working in the body department installing doors, hoods, and tailgates. The employee finished their shift and was hospitalized later that evening for a back injury.
An employee was backing up a garbage truck at a landfill to empty the truck. A concrete platform gave way, causing the vehicle to slide down into the landfill pit 20 feet below. The employee was flung backward and forward, hitting his head on the dashboard of the vehicle. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion.
An employee was kneeling beneath a loading dock, inspecting the area for future installation of an automatic dock plate. The existing manual dock plate fell off the dock and onto the employee, fracturing their hip.
On June 24, 2025, at 3:25 p.m., an employee had just finished dumping his truck at the recycling facility when they took a break in their truck. They began to experience signs of heat-related illness and left the cab of the truck before temporarily losing consciousness and collapsing. The employee was hospitalized due to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and acute kidney distress.
An employee was descending a ladder. As he stepped down, his foot landed on a pipe, which caused him to lose traction and fall. He sustained multiple torn ligaments, a shattered tibia, and a compound fracture to the heel bone. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a truckload of sulfuric acid/soda ash water mixture at a water treatment plant. Residual mixture in a hose cap spilled onto his right forearm, burning it. He was hospitalized.
An employee was readjusting a safety hook to remove hardware from gang forms when his feet slipped. He fell to the ground, resulting in a broken left arm and wrist.
An employee was on a step ladder in a store aisle, making room on shelving for merchandise. She fell from the step ladder to the floor, suffering two fractures in her left leg. She was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was closing the side cargo door to a company van. The tip of his finger got caught between the door and the door jamb, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee lost his footing while climbing an inclined ladder. He stumbled down one step and was able to stabilize himself by holding the railing and twisting his body, but he suffered an internal abdominal injury and was hospitalized.