Collapse, engulfment open trench or excavation · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Varas Energy Operating Company, LLC, 303 County Road 308, TILDEN, TEXAS 78072
on — Fractures , affecting the Lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee was standing in an excavation, about 12 feet deep, to check a natural gas pipeline for leaks. The excavation's sides sloughed, and the employee was buried up to the waist. The employee suffered a broken left lower leg.
An employee was working in a trench that was 3.5 feet deep when soil fell and hit them, resulting in an injury to their pelvis. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee went to verify whether the pipe boxes inside a trench contained water. He entered the trench and went to clean the boxes. A wall of dirt collapsed and struck him on the back. He was partially buried up to his hips. His left leg was completely stuck, and the dirt remained pressing against his back. The employee was hospitalized with a sprained left ankle and back pain.
An employee was digging in an excavation less than five feet deep to locate existing underground utilities. Side wall shear occurred in the excavation and the employee was struck by loose pieces of asphalt pavement and soil in the lower half of their body. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
On July 30, 2025, at approximately 8:30 AM, an employee was installing a storm drain pipe in a trench that was approximately 14 feet deep. While working near the edge of the trench, the employee exited the trench box. A section of the trench wall collapsed, striking the employee and causing him to fall into an adjacent manhole box within the trench. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder and a fractured femur.
Employees were working to apply sealant to a customer's leaking foundation. The injured employee was digging out dirt and passing it to another worker. The hole that was being dug collapsed and the injured employee became trapped in dirt/mud from the waist down. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 211120)
An employee was working to close a gate that had gotten stuck. He was pushing on the top rail when it started moving and his left little finger became crushed between the rollers and the top rail, resulting in an amputation below the bottom knuckle.
An employee was performing winching operations on a flatbed when their left hand was pinched between a winch hook and a nylon bridle resulting in the amputation of his left index finger.
An employee was inspecting the facility. There was a frozen injection line. The employee was going to put methanol in the line to thaw it out. He isolated the line to pour in the methanol and was bleeding off the gas inside the isolated line. He opened up the needle valve. A flash fire occurred. He reached up to shut the needle valve and sustained burns to his left ear, face, and left hand. The employee was hospitalized.
At 12:00 p.m. on March 14, 2025, an employee was operating a valve when it broke. This caused him to lose his balance and fall backward. He landed on a strip of metal and his right index finger was pinched between the metal and his leg. The weight of his leg and the impact from falling caused the amputation of his fingertip.
An employee was removing an inboard discharge valve on an inlet cylinder. The pressure caused the compressor valve cap and valve to come out of the cylinder and strike the employee, resulting in a fractured wrist, dislocated elbow, and a torn ligament.
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.