August 20, 2026
Confined spaces and animal encounters
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:
- Confined spaces
- Animal encounters
Confined spaces
An employee was lowered into an underground lift station using a harness and basket attached to a winch to complete routine work. Partway down, they called out to be pulled back to the surface. As co-workers began to lift the basket, the employee lost consciousness and fell from the basket.
This incident highlights how a confined space can become life-threatening, often without any visible warning sign. Oxygen levels and airborne contaminants inside an enclosed space such as a tank, sump, pit or lift station can change in an instant and cannot be detected without proper air monitoring equipment. Once a person inside becomes incapacitated, every second counts and an unprepared rescue attempt can put additional people at risk.
Safety tips:
- Test the air inside any confined space with a calibrated gas monitor before entry and continue monitoring throughout the task.
- Never enter a permit-required confined space without a completed entry permit and an assigned attendant stationed outside.
- Wear all required personal protective equipment, including a harness and retrieval line, any time you enter a confined space.
- Know the rescue plan before you enter and confirm that rescue equipment is on site and ready to use.
- Stop work and exit immediately if you feel dizzy, short of breath or unwell inside a confined space.
Animal encounters on the job
An employee was delivering a package to a home when two dogs charged through a screen door. As the employee tried to get away, they fell and injured their ankle and wrist while also being bitten. In a separate incident, an employee working with livestock was bucked off a horse while handling a calf in a pen. The employee landed on the ground and struck their head.
Animal encounters can turn dangerous in an instant, whether the animal is a customer’s pet or one you work with directly every day. A startled or defensive animal does not give much warning before it reacts, and the resulting fall or bite can cause serious injury. These incidents are a reminder that any job involving contact with animals — planned or unplanned — carries real physical risk that is easy to overlook until it happens.
Safety tips:
- Stay alert to your surroundings for unfamiliar animals.
- Wear protective gear provided for your role when working directly with livestock or other animals.
- Keep a safe distance from an animal you do not know and never assume a pet is friendly.
- Back away slowly if a dog or other animal approaches aggressively.
- Report aggressive or unrestrained animals to your supervisor so the location can be flagged for future visits.
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 August Safety Alert.