December 17, 2025

Electric shock hazards and excavation-related injuries

As a service to our policyholders, Texas Mutual shares serious workplace injury trends based on catastrophic injuries and fatalities reported to our claims department. Not all of these reported injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but our goal is to help you ensure these types of incidents do not happen in your workplace. Find safety tips below to help keep your employees safe on the job.

If you have questions, we encourage you to contact us at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723) or safety@texasmutual.com.

In this alert:

• Internal pressure hazards
• Injuries from falling objects

Internal pressure hazards 

In one incident, an employee was tasked with opening a hatch on a trailer that had recently been welded. As the hatch opened, it blew off due to internal pressure throwing the employee backward, resulting in a fatality.

In a separate incident, a team was transferring liquid between rail tank cars when a pump malfunction caused the pressurized contents to spray an employee, resulting in fatal injuries.

Recognizing pressure hazards and taking proactive steps are essential for every employee working around pressurized systems.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintaining, storing and using the pressure vessel.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) like goggles and gloves when handling pressure vessels.
• Do not open pressurized equipment until safety checks are complete.
• Report any leaks, unusual sounds or malfunctions to your supervisor immediately.

Injuries from falling objects

When an employee left a designated safe area without permission, a recently felled tree began to drop and struck the individual, resulting in a fatal incident. In another event, an employee assisting a customer with a pallet of products was pinned between the wall and trailer after items unexpectedly fell from the pallet.

These incidents highlight the ever-present danger of falling objects in various workplace environments. Whether working outdoors with heavy equipment or inside a warehouse handling products, it’s crucial to follow safety protocol and remain aware of your surroundings.

• Clearly communicate safe zones and hazards to team members and customers.
• Stay in designated safe zones during overhead operations.
• Wear head protection where overhead hazards exist.
• Never position yourself under suspended loads or between moving equipment and stationary objects.
• Secure items on pallets and ensure the load is balanced before moving.

Get free safety resources

Texas Mutual policyholders have access to thousands of free training materials in our multimedia safety resource center, including our safety catalog with up-to-date resources.

To access the free materials, log in to your texasmutual.com account and select Safety. If you need help accessing safety resources or you have a safety question, call us toll-free at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723).

Download a PDF (1.12 MB) version of the December Safety Alert.