Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at J R Simplot Co, Don Plant, 1150 U.S. 30, POCATELLO, IDAHO 83201
on — Fractures, affecting the lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was loading phosphoric acid onto a rail car and preparing to secure the rail car for transport. While repositioning the loadout spout to secure it back to the drip pan holster on the dock, the spout contacted the handrail of the rail car, causing the employee to lose balance. The employee stepped back and their right foot entered the opening for the rail car, causing him to twist/pivot on his left leg. The employee's lower left leg was fractured.
An employee was walking to their truck to look for a lid. When they stepped between the truck and a dock plate, they sustained a knee injury that required surgery.
An employee was standing on plant bed timbers, using a powered hand trimmer to trim the shrubs in the plant bed. The timber gave way, breaking into several pieces. The employee lost balance and fell with the trimmer in his hand. He suffered a severe laceration to the right wrist and hand.
On November 14, 2023, an employee was receiving a delivery from a truck when some of the merchandise fell from the truck s lift and struck him. He then fell to the ground and his head struck the sidewalk, resulting in an injury that required hospitalization.
An employee was rigging and loading tools and equipment onto a trailer when they were shocked. The employee's sustained third-degree burns in the right hand and possible amputation of fingers. Electricity exited through the employee's left foot resulting in the amputation of the fourth toe and the partial amputation of the little toe. The employee then fell and suffered a skull fracture.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 111211)
An employee was grating sweet potatoes on a harvester when their right ring finger got caught in a belted chain on the harvester, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was unloading potatoes from a large dump-style truck with a conveyor in the bed and was retrieving potatoes that fell into the collection tray area beneath the truck bed. The employee's glove became caught and his right hand and forearm were pulled between the belt and the tensioner bar. The employee sustained an amputation of their right arm to the mid-biceps area.
An employee was removing a sprocket from an extender when his right middle finger became pinched between the chain and the motor. The employee sustained an amputation to their finger.
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
An employee was standing on a multi-purpose ladder installing head flashing over a window. Their feet were approximately 6 feet off the ground and three rungs from the top. The employee lost their grip on the drill they were using and the ladder tipped over. The employee fell from the ladder to the ground, resulting in a fractured left wrist, bruised chest, and lacerations to their face and lip.
An employee was inspecting the overhead area of a single-person lift and repositioning the lift through a double doorway. As they were transitioning through the doorway, they were caught between the doorframe and the vertical mast of the lift. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the nose, left maxillary sinus, left orbital bone, and left jaw, with fractures at the maxillary sinus area.
An employee was loading a 4-inch wooden door into a pickup truck when he felt a pop in his right side behind his shoulder blade. He was hospitalized later that day and underwent surgery, having suffered a collapsed right lung.