Exposure to environmental heat outdoor · Heat exhaustion, fatigue
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Southwest Airlines, Co., 1 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, ORLANDO, FLORIDA 32827
on — Heat exhaustion, fatigue, affecting the BODY SYSTEMS .
Final narrative
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 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 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.
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.
On October 7, 2025, employee was installing mulch with a landscape crew. At around 2:15 PM, the employee took a break and started to feel cramping/pain. The employee was taken to the hospital with rhabdomyolysis due to heat exhaustion.
A temporary employee was on top of a cane wagon, throwing cane down to the ground (i.e., planting). He reached the end of the field row and started to feel ill. He experienced cramping and headaches due to heat exhaustion.
Two employees fell from an access bridge while entering an aircraft to perform maintenance. They landed on the ground about 20 feet below, where one of them lost consciousness. One employee sustained a fractured knee and another employee sustained a back strain/sprain. Both employees were hospitalized.
An employee experienced sharp pain in his lower torso area while loading baggage into the front cargo pit of an aircraft. The employee sustained a hernia.
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.
On September 11, 2025, an employee was lowering a railing system on an aircraft fueling cart when his gloved right ring finger was caught in the folding railing system, resulting in a fingertip amputation that required hospitalization and surgical reattachment.
An employee was working at ground level when an aviation engine cylinder weighing 30 pounds fell from a seven-foot high shelf and struck the employee on the head. The employee suffered a fractured skull and was hospitalized.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.