Struck by dislodged flying object, particle · Cuts, lacerations
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Utility Lines Construction Services, LLC, 854 Alford Ave, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 35244
on — Cuts, lacerations, affecting the upper and lower limb(s).
Final narrative
On August 6, 2023, a utility crew was working at a job site after storm damage. The crew was digging a hole to install a new pole. While the utility crew was working, a nearby tree crew cut a tree that was lying on a power line, releasing the tension in the line. The line sprung up and dislodged a broken pole, which struck the injured employee in the left shoulder and upper right thigh, causing lacerations. The employee was hospitalized.
HospitalizedUpper and lower limb(s)Utility and telephone poles
More severe injuries at Utility Lines Construction Services, LLC
An employee was the bucket of a bucket truck, installing a new light bulb at one end of an overhead street light arm. The opposite end of the street light arm fell and made contact with an energized overhead power line. The resulting arc flash caused second-degree burns to the employee's back.
An employee was installing a switch to a pole when his hand contacted an overhead powerline and an arc flash occurred. He suffered a first degree burn on his chest and second degree burn on his back, requiring hospitalization.
An employee was installing a label on a power pole when he contacted a powerline jumper and was shocked, suffering electrical burns that required hospitalization.
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 237130)
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
An employee was terminating conductors to buss bars inside the secondary compartment of a single-phase transformer. An arc flash occurred, causing burns to the soft tissue of the employee's face.
An employee was securing the claw of a grapple truck to the truck bed. His left little finger was caught between the tie down strap and the rub rail of the truck, resulting in partial amputation of the finger.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.