Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at USFS Boise National Forest Service, Boise National Forest, BOISE, IDAHO 83709
on — Fractures , affecting the Skull.
Final narrative
A firefighter was extinguishing burning material during wildfire operations when a log (20' long and 15"-20" diameter) uphill from them became dislodged and rolled down the slope. The log struck the employee who was hospitalized with a skull fracture and bruised ribs.
An employee was fighting a fire in the mountains of Colorado for approximately six hours. At the end of the shift, he was hiking back to the crew vehicles and experienced two seizures and fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized. Dehydration from heat of the fire and altitude sickness may have contributed to the seizures.
An employee was conducting fire suppression operations on a wildfire. He pulled a hose from the engine. He then charged the hose and began to put on his gloves. A flareup occurred and the employee sustained burns to his face and hands.
An employee working as a contracted firefighter was using a bulldozer to push back an active fire line when they became entrapped in flames, resulting in first- and second-degree burns.
A crew of approximately 20 employees were constructing hand lines when a dead tree collapsed and injured three of the employees, including two hospitalizations. One employee was hospitalized due to shoulder injuries, and the other employee was hospitalized due to collapsed lungs, spinal injuries, and a broken tibia and fibula.
An employee was cutting brush and shrubs. A bee stung the employee on the base of their neck. The employee sustained an allergic reaction and was hospitalized.
An employee was engaged in initial smokejumper training which includes physical fitness testing, tree climbing training, chainsaw and crosscut certification, as well as initial introduction to equipment and smokejumper-specific safety procedures. Some of the training involves carrying 110 pounds of equipment. The employee reported tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing. The employee was hospitalized with a lung injury.
An employee participated in smokejumper training, which includes carrying weight. He suffered from dehydration and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis.
An employee was diagnosing the lack of flow of product to a powder bin. The employee removed the rotary star valve below the bin. While he was reinstalling the valve, his right middle finger was crushed between its shaft and its housing. The finger was partially amputated.
An employee was standing on a multi-purpose ladder installing head flashing over a window. Their feet were approximately 6 feet off the ground and three rungs from the top. The employee lost their grip on the drill they were using and the ladder tipped over. The employee fell from the ladder to the ground, resulting in a fractured left wrist, bruised chest, and lacerations to their face and lip.
An employee was inspecting the overhead area of a single-person lift and repositioning the lift through a double doorway. As they were transitioning through the doorway, they were caught between the doorframe and the vertical mast of the lift. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to the nose, left maxillary sinus, left orbital bone, and left jaw, with fractures at the maxillary sinus area.
An employee was loading a 4-inch wooden door into a pickup truck when he felt a pop in his right side behind his shoulder blade. He was hospitalized later that day and underwent surgery, having suffered a collapsed right lung.