Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Naval Base San Diego, NAVFAC SW/ Metro Production Department, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92136
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
On September 16, 2023, a crew was going to perform maintenance on electrical equipment in a manhole located in the parking lot. The manhole cover was stuck due to corrosion. An employee was using a manhole cover removal bar when it broke about 4 inches from the bottom and caused the employee to stumble. He fell backward to the ground and sustained a fractured right tibia that required hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was driving a vehicle through a gate when the vehicle struck the final denial barrier (FDB), resulting in fractured ribs, soft tissue injuries, and a brain bleed.
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 activating the sprinkler system at a sports complex following recent maintenance to repair leaky pumps. When the system was activated, a section of newly installed 3-inch schedule 80 PVC pipe struck the employee, who lost consciousness. The employee suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.
An employee was ascending a flight of stairs after exiting their vehicle in an adjacent employee parking lot. The employee stepped to the right to avoid another employee on the left who was descending the stairs. The employee lost their balance and fell on the stairs. They were hospitalized with a laceration/abrasion to their chin, a fractured left humerus, and bruising to their left knee.
At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.
An employee was climbing a fixed ladder to perform maintenance in an attic. While unlocking the attic entry, the employee fell from the ladder more than 10 feet to the concrete below. The employee suffered a fractured hip, pelvis, tail bone, arm, and elbow, resulting in hospitalization and surgery.
The injured employee was assisting a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enforcement operation. During an apprehension, officers returned fire at a subject and struck the employee with a bullet. The employee sustained a gunshot wound to their right hand.
The injured employee was assisting in the disassembly phase after a radar array had been lowered and secured. The crew began removing load bearing pins from an overhead crane to free the radome. A load bearing pin was stuck. The injured employee went to remove the pin manually as a second team member applied pressure from the opposite side. The pin unexpectedly released and struck the injured employee s right thumb, resulting in partial amputation of the distal phalanx including an open distal phalanx fracture and nail bed laceration.
At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.
An employee was preparing a bundle of green onions for chopping. While holding the bundle in his left hand, he made his first cut using a 9-inch kitchen knife held in his right hand. The knife contacted the tip of his left thumb, resulting in an amputation of approximately 0.5 inches of the thumb that required hospitalization.