Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Southwest Airlines Co., 8500 Pena Blvd, DENVER, COLORADO 80249
on — Fractures , affecting the Hip joint(s).
Final narrative
An employee had just finished unloading baggage from inside an airliner's cargo bin. The employee exited the bin area, stood up, and then fell to the concrete ground about 4 1/2 feet below. The employee suffered a broken right hip.
Hospitalized Hip joint(s) Vehicle confined spaces except tanks, bins, vats
An employee was handling bags and placing them onto a conveyor belt. The employee's glove was caught by the conveyor belt and their hand was pulled into the belt, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
On June 5, 2025, an employee was walking between baggage carts attached to a tug when the tug began driving forward. The employee was dragged for a short distance and sustained a dislocated shoulder, a displaced fracture to his arm, and a fractured knee with a shattered kneecap.
An employee was performing ramping operations which includes loading/unloading luggage into and out of planes. The employee started cramping due to heat and was hospitalized for dehydration.
An employee was instructing an agent on the spacing of an airplane catering truck when she slipped off the front bumper of the truck, extending her arm to brace herself for impact with the pavement. The employee suffered a dislocated and broken wrist with nerve damage.
A ramp agent was connecting two baggage carts together. His right hand was caught between the tongue of one cart and the receiver of the other cart resulting in a middle fingertip amputation. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee fell while exiting a trailer. The employee landed on their left side on the pavement, suffering multiple broken ribs on the left side. The employee was hospitalized.
A driver was exiting his vehicle outside the plant gate when his foot slipped on the top step of the truck. He fell to the ground, landed on his left hip and elbow. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip/femur.
Two employees were removing a service lift platform from the back of a radar system. While handling the service lift platform, employee 2 was standing on the back of the radar and lost their footing, causing the service lift platform to shift and fall. The injured employee then fell from the top of the platform electronic subsystem (PES) to the floor, approximately 56 inches. The injured employee fractured his left elbow and left hip.
An employee fell from a loading dock to the ground 2-3 feet below. She suffered a compound fracture of the left hip and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee assisted in cleaning material from a conveyor pit. After the pit was cleaned, the employee proceeded to replace metal safety plates to ensure other employees did not fall into the pit. While replacing one of the last plates, the employee mis-stepped and fell approximately 5 feet into the pit. The employee was hospitalized with back/side bruising, elbow bruising, bone bruises, and/or fractured ribs.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 481111)
An employee was clearing a jam on the airport baggage system conveyor when his left leg became caught between slats of the conveyor. The employee sustained fractures and tissue damage to his lower leg, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
An employee was helping offload an aircraft. She was standing in the opening between a parked cart and an unoccupied aircraft tug when another vehicle struck a stationary bag cart, which then struck her. The employee suffered a skull fracture near the right eye, a right kneecap fracture, a nose fracture, and sinus damage, as well as soft tissue damage to the left calf and hip. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was working to refuel a truck. While handling the fuel hose(s), she experienced pain in her stomach. After completing the task, the employee drove back to the pad and the movement aggravated her abdominal pain. The employee was hospitalized with an abdominal sprain/strain.
An employee was on a jetway overseeing the operation. As the jet bridge was retracted, the employee's left arm was caught between the jet bridge side walls. The employee sustained a degloving to their left forearm.
An employee was descending a fixed ladder on the side of a container loader. The employee fell from the ladder, landing on the ground about 6-8 feet below and sustained fractures to their back and pelvis.
An employee was delivering materials. He was doing his pre-delivery inspection on the roof of the jobsite (a warehouse) when he fell through a plexiglass skylight. He landed on his feet on the concrete floor 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his spine, left ulnar/radius, and right heel. The employee required surgery.
An employee was removing packaging from a roll of printing substrate. The blade of their utility knife got stuck. The employee used both hands to free the knife and the blade partially amputated their left little fingertip.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
An employee was standing on an extension ladder, using a torquing tool to remove bolts that secured blades to a rotor. When the torquing tool activated, its reaction arm came around and pinched the employee's right middle finger against a lifting eye. His fingertip was amputated.