Struck by discharged object or substance · Multiple types of open wounds
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Independent Wind Solutions, 893 N McDonald Rd., BIG SPRING, TEXAS 79720
on — Multiple types of open wounds, affecting the forearm(s).
Final narrative
A temporary employee was removing a fitting from a hydraulic accumulator when pressurized hydraulic fluid was released, lacerating and penetrating the employee's left forearm.
An employee was repositioning a metal bracket when their right little finger was pinched between the bracket and the blade stud, resulting in an amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was installing wood trim surrounding a skylight inside a home. While holding a piece of trim in it's desired location, his pneumatic nail gun discharged, sending a 3/4-inch pin nail into his left forearm.
An employee removed a safety valve on a trailer that unknowingly contained nitrogen gas. The gas released from the trailer and pushed the employee backward off a scaffold approximately 10 feet before they struck a garage door, resulting in a pelvic injury.
An employee was sitting at her workstation when a nail gun malfunctioned and shot a nail into her left leg. She suffered a puncture and blood vessel injury and was hospitalized.
On November 25, 2023, an employee was using a high-pressured water hose to perform sewer line cleaning operations. The employee's right little finger and palm were lacerated by pressurized water from the hose.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
An employee was ascending the wind tower when their right arm was caught between the lift and the ladder. The employee sustained a right elbow injury and was hospitalized.
On 3/27/2025, at 9:57 AM, an employee was performing switching work including installing electrical grounds when an arc flash occurred. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn at the time, including an arc flash hood, shirt, and pants. The employee suffered burns and was hospitalized.
An employee was cleaning dirt out of a contactor using a hand-held blower and contact cleaner. An arc flash occurred, and the employee sustained burns to the right side of their face and both hands.
On February 16, 2025, an employee was descending a ladder on the third deck after completing rigging at a wind farm. Their left foot slipped on the penultimate rung and their leg became wedged between the ladder rungs and a horizontal bracket. The employee then landed on the second deck resting platform, resulting in a leg fracture above the ankle.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.