U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.

An employee was driving a forklift when its right front wheel dropped off a 6-inch curb. The forklift rolled over and trapped him against the concrete surface. He suffered a broken pelvis, ribs, and collarbone, as well as a collapsed lung.

An employee was operating a utility task vehicle (UTV). During a left turn, the vehicle rolled over on its right side. The employee suffered a lumbar strain and fractures to four lower-back vertebrae. She was hospitalized.

An employee was loading a telehandler onto a trailer and the right wheels were misaligned with the trailer, causing the telehandler to tip and fall to the right. The employee went to exit the telehandler as it fell, striking his head on the cage and frame of the telehandler. The employee sustained a concussion, a head laceration, and fractured vertebrae.

An employee was driving an ATV when it overturned and rolled onto its side. The employee sustained a fractured elbow requiring hospitalization and surgery.

An employee was performing surveying work and was actively engaged in laying out geophysical nodes as part of a seismic exploration project. This task required the employee to carry and place geophysical equipment at specific intervals along the survey path, under outdoor environmental conditions. The employee sustained heat stroke.

An employee was opening a metal gate and went to open the lock when a wasp stung her hand. The employee sustained an allergic reaction.

A survey instrument operator was watching the survey crew chief perform a topographic survey on an existing bridge abutment wingwall. The employee moved down the side slope behind the wingwall to take survey shots of the top of the wingwall. He slipped and fell over a 15-foot abutment wall, onto wood brush and the ground below, landing on his back. The employee sustained a fractured vertebra in his back.

An employee was working on the outside of the facility when they were struck by a forklift, resulting in fractures to their nose, three ribs, and left leg.

An employee was cleaning the boat and turtle traps while other crew members were pulling items such as ice chests, paddles/push poles, and the electrical conduit from the boat. The electrical conduit was then leaned against the front of the boat to be washed. The injured employee then got into the boat to help lift a box of nets. To pull the box from the gunwale, the employee exited the boat, and as they did, the electrical conduit suddenly shifted. One fell toward the employee and as it fell, the employee landed on the end of the pole and was impaled. The employee was hospitalized for internal bleeding and required surgery.

An employee was walking in a garage toward her delivery vehicle. As she stepped down a curb near her vehicle, she fell and landed on the concrete garage floor, resulting in a hip injury that required hospitalization.

Employees were performing maintenance operations on a railroad line when the machine experienced a load conveyor motor failure. While clearing the machine to allow for repairs, an employee pinned the left side of the swing conveyor. The operator on the right side then requested a slight bump to the left to align the right side for pinning. Once the swing was in position, the operator went to pin the right side and the chain tensioner failed, resulting in an abrupt release of the swing chain. The chain snapped back and struck the operator s right hand, resulting in a 1-inch laceration and a fractured fifth metacarpal. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery on the hand.

An employee was decommissioning a substation. The tower switch was being set down on the ground when the switch blade moved. The employee's finger was crushed and amputated.

An employee was struck by a truck and sustained a broken right leg.

On September 9, 2024, an employee was operating the dual pass rough cull (DPRC) machine when their left index finger contacted the chain belt, resulting in amputation of the fingertip.