Accident: 170363139 - Suffers Infection From Cut On Hand

At approximately 8:00 a.m. on January 19, 2000, Employee #1, a housekeeper in the custodial department of a medium-sized hospital, noticed that her left hand was stinging. She removed her glove and found a small cut. Upon awakening the following day, she saw that the cut was infected, with a red streak trailing up her arm. She underwent minor surgery at the hospital to remove infected tissue from her hand and was put on antibiotics. A tissue culture revealed the infectious agent to be Pasteurella multocida, a bacterium usually acquired from the bites and/or scratches of domestic animals. Employee #1 did not know where she got the small cut or infection, but later stated that the infection was probably acquired from handling a cat at home. Employee #1 was hospitalized for a day, then released to recover at home. Her normal duties at the hospital included cleaning the restrooms, examination rooms, and surgery suites.

hand, laceration, animal bite, cleaning, janitor

Accident: 201170545 - Meter Reader Biten By Dogs

An employee was going to read an electric meter at a residence. To read the meter, the employee needed to enter the fenced yard of the residence. Before entering the yard, she rattled the gate and called for the dogs as she had been trained. She waited a moment and did not see or hear anything, so she opened the gate and entered. She walked down the side of the house and around back, where the meter was located. On the back of the house, she passed two open sliding doors. After she had passed the doors, two boxer dogs came out and ran at her. She was carrying a dog stopper umbrella; however, she did not have time to open it. The two dogs bit her as she tried to fight them off. She hit one dog with the handheld computer used for recording meter readings, and it flew out of her hand. The dogs went for the computer, and the employee ran into the house and closed the doors before the dogs could get in. She called for help as she went through the house and ran out the front door, where a neighbor who had heard her screams helped her. The employee suffered dog bites to her hands, wrists, and knee. She was hospitalized for her injuries.

animal bite, elec utility work, electric meter

Accident: 200710200 - Dies Following Attack By Bull

Employee #1 was checking oil leases and tank capacities. He was returning to his parked truck after descending from an oil tank when he was attacked by a bull. Employee #1 suffered multiple injuries and was hospitalized. He died on June 13, 1997.

bull, animal bite

Accident: 170872659 - Injured In Attack By Bull

Employee #1 was stationed at the entrance to a heifer pen to open and close the gate for manure hauling trucks as they came in and out. For some reason he decided to walk out into the pen. A bull suddenly charged and knocked him down. Employee #1 sustained a number of contusions, but suffered no permanent injuries.

agriculture, contusion, bull, struck by, animal bite, work rules

Accident: 201060340 - Bitten By Cat, Later Becomes Infected

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on February 7, 1997, Employee #1 was helping a coworker bathe a 22-month-old male longhair cat prior to neutering surgery. No restraints were used during the bathing process. While Employee #1 was holding down the cat and wetting it around the head, it bit her on the right thumb. She self-treated the wound and continued with her regular duties. By 4:00 p.m., Employee #1 was in significant discomfort and was instructed to go the urgent care clinic. She was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital that day with a preliminary diagnosis of pyogenic arthritis of the right thumb, and was released on February 14, 1997. The main causal factor of this accident was the lack of means to adequately restrain the cat during bathing, such as a leash and collar or harness, that would have allowed the employee to better control the head, teeth, and claws of the animal.

animal bite, animal handler, thumb, work rules, agriculture

Accident: 201080181 - Suffers Reaction To Spider Bite

Employee #1, of Madera Glass, was making boxes when he began to notice an irritation on his right forearm. The irritation became worse and, after waiting a day to see if it would heal on its own, he began suffering from a fever (later measured at 101 degrees Fahrenheit), muscle spasms, and severe pain. He went to the company's doctor, where he was diagnosed as suffering from a spider bite. He was hospitalized for more than 24 hours for treatment. An inspection of the work site revealed no problems with insect infestations. The company utilized a private company that sprayed regularly for insects in this work area, as well as in other areas of the plant. No determination could be made whether the insect bite occurred at work, home, or some other location. No violations were observed, and no citations were issued.

animal bite, poisoning

Accident: 170378558 - Injured When Attacked By River Otter

At 10:45 a.m. on March 10, 1996, Employee #1, a newly hired cage cleaner at Coyote Point Natural History Museum in San Mateo, CA, entered a passage that connected the river otter cages with the otter exhibit compound. She was being trained as an animal keeper, and her trainer was outside the cyclone fence passage. Employee #1 was herding the otters from their cages into the exhibit area when a 3- year-old male attacked her and bit her repeatedly on the legs. After numerous attempts, the trainer forced the otters back into their cage and called 911. Employee #1's injuries resulted in disfiguring scars. This had been her first time alone with the otters, and she had not been provided with any personal protective equipment.

animal bite, leg, ppe, animal handler, work rules, inexperience