Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Mertz Manufacturing, Inc., 1701 N. Waverly Street, PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA 74601
on — Fractures, affecting the skull.
Final narrative
An employee had been working in a hot environment near a burn table. After walking down some steps and heading to the area where she kept her personal items, she fell backward and hit her head on the floor, suffering a skull fracture.
A maintenance employee was removing a hydraulic cylinder from a paint conveyor lift. When the cylinder was removed, the counterbalance was freed. The employee's left hand was then caught between the counterbalance and the stop plate, fracturing the hand.
An employee was cleaning a weld with a 5-inch sander and was working in a tight spot when the sander kicked back and lacerated the employee above the left knee.
An employee was on the back of a semi truck attaching hoses to a trailer. He fell off the side of the truck, landing on the ground about 45 inches below. He was hospitalized to treat fractures in his back.
An employee was pulling on a bale of corrugated cardboard boxes that were on a conveyor. The straps on the bale failed and the employee fell to the floor. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery for a fractured femur and/or hip.
On December 27, 2023, an employee was delivering mail to an apartment complex when their knee gave out and they fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a left tibia fracture.
An employee was walking to the inventory cage when her ankle gave out and she fell to the floor. The employee sustained a femur fracture and was hospitalized.
An employee was dislodging a pallet that was stuck when boxes of product fell onto them, causing them to fall to the ground. The employee suffered a fractured femur.
An employee was working behind a stack of steel I-beams (stacked 2 columns deep and 4 levels high on the floor) while a forklift was pushing the stack. When the forklift took off the second-to-last beam, the last one was pushed over, causing it to fall to the ground and strike the employee. The employee sustained a fracture to the right leg.
An employee was lifting a flat sub (sheet steel) in the flats robot cell (weld area). He was operating a hoist when his left little fingertip got caught between the lifting device hook and the flat sub. The employee sustained a partial transphalangeal amputation.
An employee was underneath a 35-foot boom truck and adjusting the transmission linkage when the truck jumped over the wheel chocks and rolled over the employee's right leg, resulting in a fracture.
A crane was being used to lift a debris tank from a rack. The tank crushed the employee's right hand, causing amputations to the employee's right ring finger and little fingertip.
An employee was removing a small sheet metal part out of the die of the brake press. The foot pedal was pressed, causing the part to lift and crush their left thumb against the die. The employee suffered an amputation to the thumb tip including the loss of flesh and the fingernail.
An employee was helping to move a 1,300-pound coil on a cart. The steel caster hit a crack in the concrete, the weld holding the caster onto the cart broke, and the coil and cart tipped over onto the employee. He was hospitalized with a laceration on his forehead and a pelvic fracture on his right side.
An employee was working in the food service warehouse when he experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing, and lost consciousness. The employee sustained carbon monoxide poisoning.
An employee was cutting a piece of metal rod with a metal cutting machine. His right middle finger became caught between the rod and the machine's table. The employee's fingertip was partially amputated.
An employee was working at her desk. She went to stand up and fell to the floor beside the desk. The employee sustained a hip displacement and required surgery.
An employee was processing wood boards at a chop saw when the saw malfunctioned and the blade cut her left hand and fingers. She was hospitalized and her little finger was surgically amputated.