Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at IMIA, LLC, USS Tripoli, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92136
on — Amputations, avulsions, enucleations unspecified, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was using a grinder operating at 5,000 rotations per minute (RPM). The grinder also had an offset deck crawler-scarifier attachment with an enclosed vacuum shroud and a built-in handle. The employee stepped on the trailing power cord, began to fall, and lost his grip on the deck crawler-scarifier, which was approximately 15 pounds. The tool's rotating head contacted the adjacent metal rail, causing the deck crawler-scarifier to flip onto its backside exposing the rotating scarifier teeth. When the employee attempted to brace himself using his left hand, his glove contacted the scarifier teeth, causing severe lacerations to his left index and middle fingers and partial degloving of his left ring finger. The severity of the injury resulted in the partial amputation of the left index, middle, and ring fingers.
Amputation Other finger(s) n.e.c. Water vehicle n.e.c.
An employee had been performing abrasive blasting operations in the sonar dome of a submarine. The employee completed replacing the outer blast glass layer on their blast hood and, while kneeling, the dead-man switch on their blast hose was actuated. High pressure (125-130 psi) air and blast media struck and injured their left forearm and hand. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was performing paint spraying operations when he experienced an issue with the spray gun. He twisted the spray tip back and forth to free some stuck material. The trigger assembly was actuated, causing paint to be injected into his left thumb. The paint entered into his bloodstream.
An employee was performing abrasive blasting operations within a confined space onboard a naval vessel when the end of the abrasive blast hose slipped from his hand. The employee went to catch the abrasive blast hose with his right hand, missed the end of the hose, and caught the end of the abrasive blast hose in the bend of his right elbow. The abrasive material caused lacerations and contusions to his inner arm. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
Four employees were lifting a 10-foot by 10-foot metal gate. One employee's right middle finger was caught under the gate, causing the amputation of the fingertip.
An employee was preparing a barge for the end of a day's drilling operations. He was setting a spud on the barge when the spud struck him and broke his right leg.
A team of employees was moving boats from one slip in a marina to another using rope. An employee slipped while moving around in a boat and suffered a broken left femur.
The injured employee was standing by the controls for the electric spud system on the barge, preparing to raise the spuds. Meanwhile, an excavator was moving a mat on the deck. As the excavator swung from port to starboard, it's counterweight struck the injured employee s shoulder, causing them to lose balance and fall against the spud controls. The employee sustained bruises and contusions to their right shoulder and chest.
An employee was inserting dogbone links (4 feet 9 inches in length) into the slots between sectional barges to connect the barges. A dogbone link became stuck in the slot and needed to slide down approximately 1 foot to be seated. The employee went to lift the dogbone link up and adjust it when the link became free. A burr on the flange of the link snagged the employee's right glove. The link slid into a seated position and the employee's right middle finger was caught between the top surface of the barge and the top flange of the dogbone link. The finger was partially amputated at the midsection of the distal phalanx.
An employee was hooking up bundled tie-downs with a chain. While he was holding a hook, the other hook was unlocked. This caused the employee's hook to slide down and pinch his right index finger between the chain and the shackle. He suffered an amputation to the fingertip (without bone loss), as well as an open fracture.
An employee was preparing to bend a flat bar in a brake press. When the machine was jogged, the stock rotated up and crushed his left middle fingertip against the outer frame of the die. The fingertip was amputated.
An employee was cutting metal with a torch. A piece of metal struck the employee's left foot, causing multiple fractures to metatarsal(s). The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was descending a ladder carrying a bag of trash. He fell, landed on the ground about 10 feet below, and suffered fractures to his right hip and pelvis.
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.