Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Wabtec US Rail, Inc., 2901 East Lake Road, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA 16531
on — Fractures, affecting the ankle(s).
Final narrative
The injured employee was working with two other individuals on a V-shaped roof to repair exhaust fan ductwork. The injured employee walked backward up the roof to confirm alignment of an exhaust vent and stepped off the edge of the roof, landing 14.5 feet below onto the next roof level. He landed on his feet, then fell backward, striking his head on a window. The injured employee was hospitalized with a fractured right ankle. Fall protection was not worn at the time.
An employee was responding to a service request for a cable stripping machine that was making noise and not functioning consistently. While testing its function, the machine contacted the employee s right index fingertip, resulting in a fingertip amputation to the tuft.
An employee was stepping backward off a paint skid to the floor 9 inches below. His left leg gave out and he fell to the floor coming down on his left knee. He suffered a broken left femur.
An employee was working on a jacket line for power assemblies for engines when a slide stop would not retract. The injured employee and maintenance employees worked together to troubleshoot the issue. The injured employee was checking an air pressure switch on the machine when the hydraulic cylinder extended and crushed their right index finger against the jacket line, amputating the finger to the first knuckle.
An employee was in a manlift in a test cell setting up an engine when they fell approximately 47 inches to the floor below. The employee sustained fractures and lacerations to his head, requiring hospitalization.
An employee set down an air power ratchet during assembly operations when the trigger on the air ratchet activated. The employee went to grab the ratchet when his left glove was caught by the socket. The employee s glove wrapped around the socket and the tip of his left thumb was amputated.
The employee was on top of a rail car to level the grain that was deposited into the car when they fell 13-15 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a right leg fracture.
An employee was on an extension ladder installing a satellite dish on a roof when they fell approximately 12-15 feet to the ground. The employee sustained fractures.
An employee was setting a 5-foot pry bar into a precast concrete slab and stood on the end of the pry bar to move the slab into place. The pry bar slipped out causing the employee to fall backward 15.5 feet to the dirt ground. The employee was hospitalized with a broken leg.
An employee was on a step ladder to measure and mark a crane rail for modification. The employee fell approximately 12 to 15 feet to the ground, resulting in a fractured right hip.
An employee was on a trailer securing a load of logs when they fell approximately 9-12 feet to the ground. The employee sustained brain hemorrhaging and lacerations to the thigh and above the eye. The employee was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 336510)
An employee was responding to a service request for a cable stripping machine that was making noise and not functioning consistently. While testing its function, the machine contacted the employee s right index fingertip, resulting in a fingertip amputation to the tuft.
An employee was using a handheld cordless electric torque wrench. The tool's reaction arm came into contact with the employee's left hand, causing an amputation to the middle finger above the first knuckle.
On August 6, 2025, an employee was preparing to weld a metal sheet that goes between containers and weighs 800 pounds. The employee was placing a two-foot wooden brace (4 by 4) under the metal, which was being raised by a crane operator using a magnet. The magnet shifted and caused the load to catch the employee's right index fingertip against the wooden brace, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was climbing up a ladder to the top of a railcar. The employee slipped and fell from the ladder, striking the coupler of the railcar during the fall. This caused the employee's body to shift, and they landed on their head/nose/face. The employee suffered broken ribs, a broken cheekbone, a broken nose, and internal bleeding.
An employee was walking into the motor control center (MCC) room when his right ring finger was caught in the hinge of a doorway. He sustained an open phalanx fracture, which resulted in a partial amputation above the first knuckle.
An employee was changing the spacing on a telehandler's forks. A fork slipped, and the employee's left index finger was caught between it and the mast. The fingertip was medically amputated at the first knuckle.
An employee was pulling down a broken skid with a forklift. When the employee backed up the forklift to get the forks out of the skid he pulled down, he contacted the forks of another parked forklift, fracturing both of his legs. He was hospitalized.
An employee was carrying cups back to the kitchen when her foot got caught on a cart and she fell face-first. During the fall, a piece of glass from a cup cut the inside of her mouth, severing an artery. She also sustained a laceration on her lower lip. The employee was hospitalized.