Veolia North America

An employee was working in a wastewater facility, cleaning a metal screen. He positioned it against a railing on top of a metal grating, which was above a headworks bypass channel. When he stepped onto a trapezoid-shaped section of grating, it slid forward and tipped into the channel. The employee fell about 5 feet into the channel, which contained about 1 foot of stagnant wastewater. He suffered a rotator cuff and ligament tear in his left shoulder, a contusion on the left side of his back, a broken left-side rib, and a tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

An employee was removing a motor from the top of a pump inside a wastewater lift station. A come-along was turning the motor to free it from its housing on the pump when the employee's left hand was caught between the motor's bottom edge and housing on top of the pump, amputating the left ring fingertip and lacerating the little finger.

An employee was removing a hose from a chemical tank after filling the tank with hexamethylenediamine (HMD). He checked the line to ensure that the hose was clear, then disconnected the hose at the connection. Residual chemical sprayed onto his face, causing a second-degree burn. He was hospitalized.

A shipping/receiving operator was working on a loading rack, loading a railcar. A 2-inch discharge cap failed and released pressure along with sulfuric acid from the railcar. The acid sprayed onto the employee, who suffered burns to the chest and the lower facial area. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was pressure washing truck scales when they were splashed with water and an unknown chemical on their leg and immediately experienced a burning sensation. The employee was hospitalized with a chemical burn and required surgery.

An employee was on a ladder disconnecting a 1-inch hose, known to have last carried acrylic acid that had been drained. When the hose was disconnected, residual acid dripped onto the employee's shoulder/arm area, causing a second-degree chemical burn.

Employees were removing scaffolding that was used to repair an ion exchange tank. The line was undergoing the regen process when a piece of scaffold struck a PVC pipe that transported hydrochloric acid (HCl). The injured employee was placing material inside a scaffold rack when he was sprayed in the face with HCl and sustained chemical burns to his eyes, face, chest, right arm, and left leg.

An employee was setting a rebuilt water pump using a forklift and a chain after inspecting the area where the pump was going to be placed. While the employee's right hand was on a nearby valve flange, the water pump shifted while in the air and struck the employee's right index finger, fracturing it. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.

A waste water technician was retrieving a tool to adjust a gauge on a water pump when a copperhead snake bit the employee's right hand. The employee was hospitalized.

An employee was at the top of the ladder on the passenger side of a tanker trailer. While the tanker was being loaded, the employee was checking the level of the liquid inside the tanker by looking through the manhole on top of the tanker. The employee may have been overwhelmed by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or the odor of raw sewage, causing him to lose consciousness and fall approximately 10 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a brain bleed and fractures to their skull, face, spine, and multiple ribs.

An employee was working in a wastewater facility, cleaning a metal screen. He positioned it against a railing on top of a metal grating, which was above a headworks bypass channel. When he stepped onto a trapezoid-shaped section of grating, it slid forward and tipped into the channel. The employee fell about 5 feet into the channel, which contained about 1 foot of stagnant wastewater. He suffered a rotator cuff and ligament tear in his left shoulder, a contusion on the left side of his back, a broken left-side rib, and a tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

An employee was lifting a compactor when it slid in his hand and caught his right little finger between the compactor and the truck trailer, resulting in a partial amputation.

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 inspecting a generator whose radiator was leaking. He slipped, and a fan blade in the generator amputated his thumb and index finger.

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.