Collision with stationary object, nonroadway · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Smithsonian Institution, 3904 Old Silver Hill Road, CAMP SPRINGS, MARYLAND 20746
on — Fractures , affecting the Thigh(s).
Final narrative
An employee was riding an ATV while patrolling a campus. The employee did a U-turn around a pole and struck a fence wall, resulting in a head injury and a broken femur.
An employee was using a manual sign post driver to drive a sign post into the ground when his left hand slipped off the handle and his left ring finger became caught between the sign post and the post driver.
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.
A concrete batch plant operator was assisting with clearing spoil piles using a skid steer. The skid steer backed into a stationary screen plant. The employee's left little finger was crushed between the controls of the skid steer and the screen plant, resulting in a fracture and laceration. The employee's finger was surgically amputated.
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 operating a roller and paving a small pathway next to a pavilion. The ground was on a slight pitch, causing him to reach up toward the roll cage to stabilize himself. His right fifth finger was pinched between the roll cage and the rafter of the pavilion. The employee sustained a partial degloving injury with partial traumatic amputation.
An employee was operating a stand-up forklift. The forklift drove into a rack in a warehouse, and the employee's right hand was caught between the rack and an upright supporting the forklift's overhead guard. The employee suffered a fracture and laceration to the hand, just below the little finger.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 921190)
An employee was on a four-step work stand while sanding an area of an aircraft. He was climbing down the work stand when he tripped over an air hose and fell to the level below, resulting in a fractured femur.
A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee was assisting a fire crew with clearing a forest trail. The employee was struck in the left leg by a fire-rated chainsaw. The chainsaw struck the employee underneath their chaps and above their boot. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee handed a fuel hose to another employee at a gas station pump and then turned around, tripped over the hose, and fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip.
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 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.