Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC., 3915 SW 18th Street, GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA 32608
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
On June 23, 2022, an employee was sitting on the back of a small aerial lift while it was moving slowly toward the back of a trailer. The rubber track caught his right ankle, causing a fracture above the ankle. He was hospitalized.
An employee was exiting the basket of an aerial lift when they tripped and fell about 6 feet and 10 inches to the ground. The employee sustained a fracture to the lower right leg below the knee.
An employee was cutting trees when a 35-foot tree was felled. When the tree struck the ground it landed on a small log, causing the log to shift and strike the employee's lower right leg. The employee sustained fractures to their tibia and fibula.
An employee was riding in the front passenger seat of a utility task vehicle when it flipped during a turn. The side roll bar came loose and struck the middle of the employee's back. The employee suffered six broken ribs and a lacerated liver.
An employee was using a dozer to clear a plot of land. The dozer struck the ground after getting stuck on a tree stump, causing the employee to hit their head on the cab roof. The employee sustained a spinal compression injury.
On August 31, 2023, an employee was operating an excavator to complete a demolition job. As the excavator drove into the first floor of the building, the floor collapsed. The vehicle and employee dropped approximately 8 feet, causing the employee to sustain a back injury.
An employee was standing on a walk-behind lawn mower when the mower spun out of control. His right ring fingertip became caught in the handlebar, resulting in an amputation.
An employee was loading a bundle of 3/8-inch rebar using a standup skid loader. While transporting the load, the equipment tipped forward, throwing the employee over the controls and into the mast of the skid loader. The employee sustained several teeth avulsions, a mouth laceration, and bruising/swelling around the face.
An employee was driving a forklift to deliver lumber to a work site when the forklift tipped forward onto the forks. The employee struck his head on a metal railing on the forklift, resulting in a laceration, a concussion, and temporary loss of consciousness.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561730)
An employee was helping to set up a mulch blowing truck when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured knee, a concussion, and a head laceration; they also received stitches on their arm.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood when the saw cut his thumb, index, and middle fingers. His index finger was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
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.