# Fractures at Department of Veterans Affairs
> OSHA SIR `2020076774` · 7/18/2020 · BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
## Severity
- **1 hospitalization**
- **Body part:** Multiple body parts, unspecified
- **Nature of injury:** Fractures
## Cause
- **Event:** Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
- **Source:** Roofs, n.e.c.
- **Secondary source:** Machine and appliance parts, n.e.c.
## Employer
- **Name:** Department of Veterans Affairs
- **Location:** 700 South 19th Street, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, 35233
- **NAICS:** 622110
- **Jurisdiction:** 1
## Narrative

An employee was working on an HVAC system replacing a belt on an exhaust fan. The cover to the exhaust fan was on his left on the roof surface. The employee took a picture of his completed work,   and stepped to the left when his pants caught on the edge of the exhaust fan cover. He then fell backwards onto a rooftop access hatch. The employee sustained three broken vertebrae and four broken ribs.

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*Source: [OSHA Severe Injury Reports](https://www.osha.gov/severe-injury-reports) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*