Exposure to electric arc · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at BIA-Western Region, 13805 North Arizona Blvd, COOLIDGE, ARIZONA 85128
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Hands and feet.
Final narrative
On December 9, 2024, an employee was working on a 69-kilovolt electrical line. When the employee opened a switch, an electrical arc energized the pipework connecting to the switch handle. The employee was shocked, suffering entry burns on the fingers of both hands and an exit burn on the right foot. The employee was hospitalized.
Hospitalized Hands and feet Power lines, transformers, convertors
An employee was terminating cables in a junction box. A loose ground wire came into contact with the bushing, causing a flash that burned the right side of the employee's face and his right hand.
An employee was using a bucket truck hoist to raise secondary aerial wiring. The wire made contact with the primary wire, causing an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to both hands and was hospitalized.
A temporary employee was testing an electrical starter motor. He was placing tape on the starter while the breaker was not engaged, but the starter sent an arc flash that burned his hands and stomach.
Two employees were removing a circuit breaker. The injured employee was using wrenches in the removal process. One of the wrenches contacted an adjacent door, resulting in an arc flash. The employee suffered burns to their neck, face, and ear, as well as momentary vision loss due to the flash.
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.
On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.
At about 5:55 p.m. on August 9, 2025, an employee lost his footing while climbing an access ladder to a 12-foot-high spotlight platform. He fell about 9 feet to the ground, breaking eight ribs on the right side.
An employee was completing an annual work capacity test. Later that night, the employee experienced severe pain in their left leg and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis and compartment syndrome in the lower left leg.
An employee was setting chains to secure a concrete barrier to a front-end loader. The chain became twisted and lost slack. The concrete barricade fell on the employee's left foot, causing a partial amputation to a toe.