Fall, contact incident onboard water vehicle · Amputations involving bone loss
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Cashman Dredging LLC, Smith Shipyard, CURTIS BAY, MARYLAND 21226
on — Amputations involving bone loss, affecting the Other finger(s) n.e.c..
Final narrative
During dredging operations on a barge, an employee was manually feeding a 2-inch steel cable in an 8-foot by 10-foot spool and repositioning the cable into the spool groove. Their right hand became pinched beneath the cable, resulting in an amputation of the index finger.
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.
A crew was installing drilled micropiles alongside an outdoor covered deck foundation. The injured employee was working the front of the drill when a loose section of casing dropped onto the tip of a rig wrench and pulled the wrench down to an embedded casing. The employee's left little finger was caught between the rig wrench and the embedded casing and was amputated above the top knuckle.
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.
Employees were securing the fuel line of an outboard motor in preparation for removing the motor from a small vessel located in the equipment yard. A gasoline-related fire occurred and one employee sustained burns to both hands and forearms.
A marine diver/construction worker was working underwater, using a hydraulic dredge to clear sediment away from the base of a dam. The dredge's suction nozzle began migrating toward him, and then pulled in his right hand and forearm. He sustained compartment syndrome in the hand and forearm.
An employee was standing on a sheet of -inch by 4-foot by 8-foot plywood on top of a rebar mat, supervising his crew. As he was moving to alert the crew to an incoming overhead load, he stepped off the plywood and his left foot slipped through the rebar mat and landed on the rebar mat below. His left ankle was broken and dislocated.
An employee was ascending a flight of stairs after exiting their vehicle in an adjacent employee parking lot. The employee stepped to the right to avoid another employee on the left who was descending the stairs. The employee lost their balance and fell on the stairs. They were hospitalized with a laceration/abrasion to their chin, a fractured left humerus, and bruising to their left knee.
A mail handler was moving BMCs on the loading dock when they fell from the loading dock to the concrete ground below. The employee was hospitalized with head trauma.
An employee was on an A-frame ladder while preforming demolition of a ceiling. A section of HVAC ductwork fell on the employee and knocked them to the ground approximately 12 feet below. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion and lacerations.
On the morning of July 24, 2025, an employee was conducting synthesis of a highly toxic experimental chemical (nerve agent) in a chemical fume hood. The operation was completed at approximately 11:30 AM. The employee was exposed to the chemical and began experiencing symptoms of illness/poisoning around 1:30 PM and was hospitalized.