Southwest Galvanizing, Inc.

An employee was cutting steel channels from a hanging rack that was being supported by a forklift. When they were finished, the forklift started moving the rack out of the area and a piece of material snagged one of the rack legs, causing the rack to tilt backward. The rack slipped off the forklift and struck the employee on his right side/lower back. He sustained a fractured pelvis and was hospitalized.

The injured employee was cutting wire on a galvanized steel piece. Another employee was transporting their piece over the injured employee using two monorail cranes. One crane moved and the other remained stationary, causing the rigging to fail and the fabricated steel frame fell and struck the injured employee in the back/neck area. The employee was hospitalized for four broken ribs and a right shoulder contusion.

An employee was handling a bundle of steel beams that he needed to be side-by-side. He pushed the top beam and it became unbalanced. It fell on his left hand that was resting on the bottom beam. It lacerated the tips of his fingers, resulting in the amputation of the distal portion of his ring and middle fingers.

An employee was monitoring a dipping operation through an observation window on the closed door of a hot dip galvanizing kettle. Zinc spattered from the kettle, entering the top of the employee's boot and causing a third-degree burn to his left heel. Personal protective equipment was being worn at the time of the incident, but pants were tucked into boots.

After the galvanizing cycle, material (product) is no longer in the zinc, but is still inside the kettle, at which point two workers will skim the zinc off the top of the kettle. Two monorail cranes carry this beam in and out of the kettle housing. The cranes have chains connected to a bow that holds the beam. The chain between the lifting block of the crane and bow failed; one end of the beam fell, hit the molten zinc vat, and caused a splash. The injured employee was wearing a Nomex suit, face shield, and eye glasses at the time. The surface of this vat is at about waist level. The densest portion of the splash hit the injured employee in the groin, burned through the Nomex coveralls, and caused third-degree burns. Another portion of the splash hit the employee on the chest/abdomen area and caused second-degree burns. A small splash of molten zinc also hit the employee's face, and the last portion landed on one of the injured employee's feet, causing a burn.

An employee was walking past a crossover conveyor when a ramp came down and hit them in the back. The employee sustained a broken back vertebra, as well as a concussion, and was hospitalized.

An employee was unloading frameless mirrors from a trailer. When unstrapped, the mirrors fell over onto the employee, who suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed and blood clot, a broken left ankle, and lacerations.

A temporary employee was rigging secondary steel when the steel joist fell to the ground and struck his lower left leg, resulting in fractures to the tibia and fibula.

Two maintenance employees were dismantling a machine part (steel cylindrical rollers) on the ground. After unbolting a portion, part of the assembly fell approximately 6 inches onto one employee's left little finger. The employee was hospitalized and about 3/4" of their little finger above the top joint was surgically amputated.

An employee was stacking a pallet when the pallet fell, injuring her left leg. She was hospitalized and had surgery on her left leg.

An employee was cutting steel channels from a hanging rack that was being supported by a forklift. When they were finished, the forklift started moving the rack out of the area and a piece of material snagged one of the rack legs, causing the rack to tilt backward. The rack slipped off the forklift and struck the employee on his right side/lower back. He sustained a fractured pelvis and was hospitalized.

An employee was working to remove waste wire between two boat rack/spreader bars (10 feet in length, 8 inches wide, and 16 inches tall, with a center lifting point for a crane hook) in the hanging department. One boat rack was leaning on another boat rack. The employee reached between the boat racks to move the leaning boat rack and remove the waste wire. The leaning boat rack shifted and the employee's left index finger was pinched between the two racks (weighing approximately 600 pounds each). The employee sustained an abrasive amputation of the left index fingertip from the nailbed up.

An employee was performing maintenance on a coating machine and the belt cover guard was removed to repair the belt. The moving belt caught the employee's fingers and pulled them between the belts, injuring three fingers on the employee's left hand. The fingernails were removed from their little and middle fingers. The ring finger was amputated at the first knuckle.

An employee tripped, fell to the floor, and suffered a broken right radius. The employee was hospitalized, requiring surgery.

An employee was stacking steel grating. The grating moved and their right ring finger got caught between grating. The last digit of the ring finger was amputated.

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 inspecting flares processes. The employee received burns to the front side of the body, face and arm from the flares.

An employee was removing plastic material from a production line when the machine cycled and amputated his left index, ring, and little fingers.

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.