Struck by dislodged or detached object(s) · Fractures and surface, flesh wounds
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at W&W AFCO STEEL, 2221 Erskine St, LUBBOCK, TEXAS 79415
on — Fractures and surface, flesh wounds , affecting the Lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was grinding a beam when the grinding disc exploded and a fragment of the disc struck the employee's right lower leg. The employee sustained a laceration and a fracture to the right shin.
Hospitalized Lower leg(s) Machine and tool parts, accessories n.e.c.
On September 12, 2025, an employee was standing on top of a float trailer boom, approximately 5 feet off the ground, working to strap down some material on a pallet with 5/16" booming chains. He was using a cheater bar as leverage to push down on the boomer that he had slid into the boomer handle. Once the chains had engaged and the load was secured, he went to pull the cheater bar out of the handle but it was stuck. When it became unstuck, he lost his balance and fell from the trailer to the ground below. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to the head of his left femur and required surgery.
An employee was operating a remote-control overhead crane to set a beam on the floor. The crane hooks did not clear the beam and the beam flipped over onto the employee. The employee was hospitalized with an amputation to the upper left leg.
An employee was working in a three-man crew to stage loads for shipment. As a steel column was being put into place with a forklift, the employee positioned himself between two steel columns and was struck by a steel plate that was welded to the column. The employee sustained an arm fracture and contusions to the right thigh.
An employee was working to move material off a skid with a 6,000-pound electro magnet. When he activated the magnet's release mechanism, his right thumb was caught between the release handle and the magnet, crushing his thumb tip.
An employee was operating an ironworker (steel punching/shearing) machine. A piece of the tooling broke off and struck the employee's neck; a fragment was lodged in his neck. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
A service crew was pulling a pump and motor from a well. After breaking a joint of pipe loose from another joint, an employee grabbed the chain tongs to prevent the pipe from spinning in the well, so the crew could continue taking it apart. The bolt that attaches the chain to the handle of the chain tongs broke, causing the chain to swing around and strike the employee's lower right leg. The chain severely punctured his leg and fractured his tibia.
An employee was using a handheld grinder to cut a bolt. The grinding wheel broke apart and a fragment struck the employee s right hand, causing a laceration to the palm near the little finger.
An employee was operating a brake press when the top die broke, causing the bottom die to roll out and onto the employee's legs. Both of the employee's legs were crushed below the knee, and both legs were partially amputated. The employee's left leg was also fractured above the knee.
A pressurized aircraft nose landing gear strut assembly was being disassembled. The gland nut dislodged under pressure and made contact with an employee's left hand, breaking it.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 332312)
On October 21, 2025, an employee was operating a saw when a pneumatic clamp caught their right middle finger. The employee suffered a partial amputation to the finger.
An employee completed an end cut on a metal shim and started transferring the metal shim from the saw conveyor to two saw horses in the area. The employee set one end of the shim (7 feet long x 8 inches wide, weighing 218 pounds) on one of the saw horses, then slid the other end onto the other saw horse and the shim fell from the first saw horse. The employee's left index fingertip was pinched between the saw horse and the shim, resulting in a skin avulsion. The fingertip was amputated later.
An employee was using a crane to move a 44-foot, 3,343-pound I-beam. As the beam was moving west, it straightened out (north to south), beginning to swing south toward the northwest corner of a building. The crane then sent the beam southward, directly toward the corner of the building. The beam caught the tips of the employee's left index, middle, and ring fingers against the building. The last joints of the middle and ring fingers were amputated, and the last joint of the index finger was partially crushed.
An employee was moving steel beams with an overhead crane when the bundle struck a bollard and became unstable. As the employee reached to stop the material from shifting, his thumb was pinched in-between the beams, resulting in a partial amputation.
An employee was rigging a steel joist to be lifted by a crane. The joist fell and pinned the employee against the concrete ground. The employee sustained fractures to multiple ribs, his right arm, right tibia, and an open fracture to his right ankle, as well as a dislocated right hip.
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 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.