Exposure to electric arc · Electrical burns any degree
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Gerdau, 384 Old Grassdale Road Ne, CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA 30121
on — Electrical burns any degree , affecting the Foot (feet), toe(s) unspecified.
Final narrative
On April 3, 2025, an employee was welding a handle on a shroud manipulator when bare wire on the welding lead contacted the platform he was working from and an arc flash occurred. The employee was shocked and sustained third-degree burns to the top of his right foot.
On August 8, 2025, an employee developed muscle cramps and dizziness. Later, while working on a plant floor, he developed full-body cramps. He was hospitalized, suffering from head exhaustion.
An employee began to experience cramps after assisting with some work as an apprentice millwright. It was 88 F with 50% humidity. The employee received treatment for hypokalemia and hyponatremia.
An employee was helping a crane operator retrieve a roll from a storage rack. The employee was working on the west side of the rack and the crane operator was working on the east side of the rack. The employee's hand was resting on the end of the roll. When the operator lifted the top roll, the other roll moved, pinching the employee's left hand and resulting in amputations to the left pinky and ring fingers.
An employee was checking an air blower to determine if it was operational when the force of the intake pulled his hand into the fan blade, amputating approximately half of his left pinky finger.
An employee was attempting to free the arm piece of a pneumatically operated shear line machine. The machine's arm became free and caught the employee's right index finger between the arm and the frame of the machine, amputating it.
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 used a crane to set down a bar. The bar measured 9 inches by 16 feet. The strap got stuck under the bar, and the employee asked another employee to jog the roll. The bar rolled and pinched the injured employee's left hand, resulting in a fingertip amputation.
An employee was loading a steel forming machine with steel to be processed. He went to move a cooling hose out of the way and his left thumb was crushed by the forming roller, resulting in injuries that required surgical amputation.
An employee was advancing a rail to line up for welding with a secondary rail on the weld line when his right middle and ring fingers were caught between the rails. The employee sustained an amputation to the top knuckle of the middle finger and a fracture to the ring finger. The machine was guarded at the time.
An employee was preparing bundles of 24-foot square metal tubing to be loaded onto a truck and cut the safety band for a bundle. While the employee was removing a piece of dunnage from a bundle, they bumped the bundle with their leg. The metal tubing then fell forward and struck the employee, causing a fractured left ankle.
An employee was helping to lift the grating from a floor draining system when the grating slipped and landed on his hand, resulting in the amputation of his right middle finger at the first joint.
During a workshop meeting in a hotel, an employee heard a drilling noise, so he walked outside to see what it was. An explosion occurred (possible gas line) and his face, ear, and hair were burned. He also fell and sustained a pelvic fracture.
An employee was using a tool to remove a rag from a roll on the tube mill. The roll pulled the tool and the employee's right hand into the roll, resulting in a partial amputation of the little finger and a fracture to the index finger.