Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at International Paper Company, 601 CR 78 (RIVER RD), SELMA, ALABAMA 36701
on — Thermal burns second degree, affecting the Arm(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
On February 11, 2025, an employee began to drive a clamp-type forklift away from a propane fueling station. The forklift was still connected to the fueling station and the connection line broke. This caused a flash fire, and the employee suffered second-degree burns to both arms and minor burns to his face.
Hospitalized Arm(s) unspecified Propane
More severe injuries at International Paper Company
An employee was troubleshooting a plug on a starch silo chute. The employee was caught by the internals of the rotary valve resulting in amputations to the tips of their right first and second digits.
On January 22, 2024, an employee was working at an inspection door on a feed screw auger. He was pushing debris into the auger when his left foot was caught in the auger, resulting in a fracture and the amputation of two toes.
An employee was removing a roll core from a chuck. The machine activated while the employee's right thumb was between the chuck and the roll core. The employee sustained an amputation to the right thumb tip.
An employee was using a torch to loosen a bolt on a water trailer. Natural gas was present in the water and it ignited, causing a fire. The employee sustained third-degree burns to their upper leg.
An employee had been removing phosphorus pentasulfide while on a scaffold. He was using a non-sparking tool to dislodge the phosphoric material. The employee noticed a flash of flame. He descended the scaffold, but the flash ignited residual phosphorus pentasulfide that was on the outside of the employee's personal protective equipment (PPE). He sustained thermal burns to his right hand and right calf.
An employee was taking a butane gas sample as part of the hydrocarbon refining process. A component disconnected and the butane ignited, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to the employee's forearms and to their face, including their cheeks, chin, and neck.
An employee was troubleshooting a power washer in the field. Because there might have been water in its fuel, he brought it back to the shop and drained about a gallon of fuel from the tank into a plastic container. Some of the fuel spilled onto the floor and ignited. The employee was stomping out the fire when he lost his balance and tripped into a stool, which caused the plastic container to spill more fuel onto the fire. The employee's pants and shirt caught on fire, and he fell, abrading his knee while trying to get through the flames. As well as the knee abrasion, he suffered burns to the left leg and left lower quadrant of the torso. He was hospitalized.
An employee was fueling a gasoline-powered pressure washer with a safety fuel can. During the transfer the fuel ignited, causing a fire. The employee sustained burns to his nose, and his right hand and forearm.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 322121)
Tools and parts were being lowered to the ground from an elevated platform in a 5-gallon bucket. The rope being used to lower the bucket failed; the tools and parts fell and lacerated the left forearm and upper left leg of an employee on the ground.
An employee was tracking an infeed belt on a scrap hogger when their right arm was caught between the belt and a roller. The arm was broken and the employee's shoulder was dislocated. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was working to clear a jam from a paper napkin folder. The ram that advanced the napkins pushed the employee's right arm into the side of the machine, causing several lacerations and a hairline fracture.
An employee was troubleshooting overflowing ink on a printer-slotter machine when their right ring fingertip was caught in a guarded roller, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was disconnecting wires in preparation to swap out a refiner motor when they contacted energized equipment and sustained an electrical shock. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was traveling down the maintenance aisle of a warehouse on a single-pallet front rider jack. The jack malfunctioned, causing the brakes to apply; the employee fell forward onto the concrete warehouse floor. The employee suffered an injury to the left leg and was hospitalized, requiring surgery.
An employee was operating a metal roller machine to roll a small piece of metal. The employee's right index finger became caught between the metal and the machine, and the fingertip was amputated.
An employee was directing a truck driver to a dump site when the truck's peanut trailer slipped off the kingpin. As the trailer fell, a ladder attached to it lacerated the employee's ear. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was unloading a forklift from a trailer to the ground. The employee was climbing down the ladder of the trailer when their foot slipped through one of the rungs, causing them to fall backward onto the forklift forks. The employee was hospitalized for fractured ribs.