Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Watco Companies Mechanical Services, 437 South 260th Street, PITTSBURG, KANSAS 66762
on — Fractures , affecting the Thigh(s).
Final narrative
On July 15, 2024, an employee was climbing the fixed side ladder of a railcar while performing a visual inspection when they missed a grab bar on the ladder, falling to the ground and suffering a fractured right femur.
Hospitalized Thigh(s) Heavy rail vehicles unspecified
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 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 fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
An employee slipped while descending in a stairwell, fell, and suffered multiple contusions/bruises to the head, neck, shoulders, knees, and back. She was hospitalized.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 482112)
An employee was ascending a hopper car. As he neared the top of the car, he grabbed the hand hold on a running board. The running board shifted, causing the employee to fall to the concrete shop floor. He sustained a fractured left hand and dislocated fingers.
An employee was removing a forklift from a trailer when the lift fell sideways onto the ground and pinned his right leg underneath it. The employee suffered a broken tibia and fibula and other injury to his lower right leg that caused an amputation below the knee.
An employee was training during a locomotive inspection. As he was observing two other employees, he slipped on ice and uneven ground and fell, resulting in a fracture to the tibia/fibula at the ankle. The employee was hospitalized and had surgery.
An employee was putting away products using a ladder. As the employee was descending the ladder, she lost her footing and fell to the floor, resulting in a concussion.
An employee was working to remove a product blockage from a piece of equipment. The employee was struck by a metal bar near the deck of the pin mixer equipment and sustained blunt force trauma to the torso.
An employee was moving a rack onto a lower conveyor in the south heat treat area when their finger got caught between the part tray and the rollers, resulting in a fingertip fracture and amputation.
An employee was climbing a ladder to get on top of the breakroom. The ladder slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his upper back, left foot, and ankle.
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 bent over to pick up a rubber mat from the ground. When he grabbed the corner of the mat, a rattlesnake hidden under it bit his left middle finger near the first knuckle. He was hospitalized.