Vehicle or machinery fire · Thermal burns third degree or higher
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, 1200 West Tyler Street, GILMER, TEXAS 75644
on — Thermal burns third degree or higher, affecting the Multiple body parts n.e.c..
Final narrative
An employee was troubleshooting an electrical meter on a house. The employee didn't notice anything abnormal from the ground, so they went up in a bucket and noticed the wire connecting to the lightening arrestor was not connected. They made a curl on the existing copper and went to reconnect when an electrical transformer caused a fire. The employee sustained second- and third-degree burns to the face, upper body, and arms.
Hospitalized Multiple body parts n.e.c. Power lines, transformers, convertors
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.
Two employees were replacing cartridge filters at the recycle oil filter in a hydrocracking unit. While removing compression springs from the top of the filters located within the filter pot, vapors that had accumulated within the filter tubes ignited, causing a flash fire. Both employees suffered burns to multiple body parts and were hospitalized.
An employee was performing diagnostic work on a vehicle engine. As the employee was leaning over the front of the vehicle, the engine was activated. A fuel leak had produced fumes around the engine, and the ignition spark ignited them. The employee suffered second-degree burns to both hands, both biceps, and the upper chest area.
An employee was checking the fuel level of a ride-on sprayer. While refueling the sprayer, fuel ignited and the employee sustained burns to their jaw and right thumb.
Two employees were working in the kitchen area of a food trailer. There was a sudden burst of fire in the kitchen, and both employees were engulfed by deflagration of gas which oriented from a propane-powered griddle. They suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns to their head, face, arms, and legs.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 238210)
An employee was troubleshooting the control setup for a variable air volume box above a ceiling. The employee's hand came into contact with an exposed, energized 277-volt wire that had loosened from its terminal on the box's assembly. He was shocked and fell off a ladder. His left hand passed across the ceiling grid and was lacerated. He also suffered an electrical burn to the right hand and was hospitalized.
An employee was moving a scissor lift through a doorway. The employee was pinned between the scissor lift and the doorframe, sustained a back injury, and was hospitalized.
An employee was standing on an A-frame ladder approximately 6 feet above the floor while he attached a suspended light fixture to the ceiling. The employee lost balance, and fell to the tiled floor below, sustaining blunt force trauma to his head.
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.
The injured employee was performing routine maintenance on a fan belt/pulley. The injured employee and another person were moving the pulley back and forth manually to find a bearing issue. The injured employee's left ring finger got caught between the belt and the pulley wheel, resulting in a soft tissue amputation.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
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 was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.