Struck by dislodged or detached object(s) · Fractures
Final narrative
Employees were inspecting a broken telephone pole to remove it and attached the cable from the roadway. They removed the broken pole from the cable/strand so they could raise the cable/strand up and attach to a tree to gain clearance until it could be repaired. The injured employee cut the top (above the cable/strand) of the pole off and it fell to the ground in the roadway. They then moved that piece out of the roadway. This left a 6-foot piece still attached to the strand (below the strand) at about a 45-degree angle to the ground. When the remaining 6-foot piece was cut from the cable/strand, it broke and swung toward the injured employee, knocking him to the ground. The employee sustained a fractured skull and a fractured L5 vertebra.
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.