Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025
105,991Records 70,589Employers 85,836Hospitalizations 27,959Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-11-30

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #762906

H & B CONSTRUCTION & UTILITY SERVICE

Event
CHAIN, AMPUTATED, CONSTRUCTION, TRENCH, TRENCH DIGGER, SHORING, ENTANGLED, SLOPING, LEG
NAICS
000000
Inspection type
Referral
Activity number
#107913675
Employer profile
H & B CONSTRUCTION & UTILITY SERVICE
Summary number
762906
Report ID
454714

Event description

Employee's leg amputated by trenching machine

Investigation abstract

At approximately 10:15 a.m. on March 16, 1989, a gas line was damaged by a Ditch Witch trenching machine which was being used for gas line installation, and exc avation of the 18 in. trench was halted. Employee #1 began removing soil from ar ound the gas line to enable repair work to continue. Once work was complete a co worker began trenching while Employee #1 remained in place. Employee #1 became e ntangled in the trenching chain, amputating his right leg just below the hip. Em ployee #1 required hospitalization.

Victim

  1. #1 Hospitalized Age 43 Male

    Nature of injury
    Amputation (1)
    Part of body
    LEGS (16)
    Accident type
    CAUGHT IN OR BETWEEN (2)
    Source of injury
    MACHINE (26)
    Occupation
    Construction laborers (869)
    Human factor
    MISJUDGMENT, HAZ. SITUATION (1)
    Environmental factor
    SHEAR POINT ACTION (3)
    Task assigned
    Task not regularly assigned (2)

Labels are OSHA's own, from the code dictionary published with the accident-investigation file. The raw code is shown beside each one so this page can be reconciled against OSHA's bulk data. OSHA notes that nature of injury, part of body, source of injury and accident type in this file are not coded to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, and that the occupation titles are not standardised — so these values are not directly comparable with the OIICS-coded severe injury reports.