Vehicle Safety
Recalls Search 320,000+ NHTSA safety recalls Complaints 2.1M+ consumer safety complaints TSBs 4.7M technical service bulletins VIN Lookup Decode any vehicle VIN instantly OBD Codes 12,000+ diagnostic trouble codes Fuel Economy EPA MPG data for all vehicles Safety Ratings 11,700+ NHTSA crash test ratings Investigations 5,300+ NHTSA defect investigations Statistics Recall trends & safety analysis
Consumer Safety
Product Safety 9,700+ CPSC product recalls Food Safety 28,600+ FDA food recalls Pet Safety 1.3M FDA animal adverse events Drug Safety 17,500+ FDA drug recalls Device Safety 38,400+ FDA device recalls Workplace Safety 102,900+ OSHA injury reports Brand History Cross-category recall lookup by company
Infrastructure
Bridge Safety 624,000 bridge inspections Aviation Safety 30,000+ NTSB aviation events Dam Safety 92,600 dam safety records Water Safety 433,000+ public water systems Railroad Safety 438,000+ rail crossings Pipeline Safety 8,800+ pipeline incidents State Safety Dashboards Safety grades for all 50 U.S. states ZIP Safety Report Check any 5-digit ZIP across 9 datasets
Public Health
Nursing Homes 14,700 CMS rated facilities Environmental 80,000+ hazardous sites & releases
Blog

Harvard University

Self-inflicted shooting-unintentional — Gunshot wounds — CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts

HOSPITALIZED — Worker hospitalized after incident at Harvard University in CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts
Employer Harvard University
Address 46 Blackstone Street
City, State ZIP CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts 02139
Report ID 2016043088
Event Date April 13, 2016
Outcome Hospitalized
Nature of Injury Gunshot wounds
Body Part Finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified
Event Type Self-inflicted shooting-unintentional
Source of Injury Person-injured or ill worker, n.e.c.
Secondary Source Pistol, handgun, revolver
Industry (NAICS) 611310
GPS Coordinates 42.36384, -71.11570

Location Map

Incident Narrative

While an employee was transferring his issued duty weapon from one holster to another, the weapon engaged some keys on his duty belt. The keys entered the trigger guard, and as he pushed the weapon into the holster, it discharged. The bullet struck and wounded his left-hand middle finger.

Incident Summary

On April 13, 2016, a worker at Harvard University in CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts suffered gunshot wounds to the finger(s), fingernail(s), unspecified. The incident was classified as self-inflicted shooting-unintentional, with person-injured or ill worker, n.e.c. identified as the source of injury. The worker was hospitalized.

Context

OSHA has recorded 44 severe injury reports involving "Self-inflicted shooting-unintentional" incidents in our database. Browse all Self-inflicted shooting-unintentional injuries.

See all reports for Harvard University.

Similar Incidents

Other severe injury reports involving Self-inflicted shooting-unintentional events:

Date Employer Location Nature Outcome
Apr 20, 2021 Ketterman Ranch LLC BURNET, Texas Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Nov 9, 2018 US Customs and Border Protection EAGLE PASS, Texas Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Dec 7, 2022 Cooper Consolidated, LLC. DARROW, Louisiana Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Sep 16, 2023 Ochsner St. Anne Hospital NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Oct 29, 2019 Bass Pro Shops GRAPEVINE, Texas Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Mar 25, 2020 Star Service Inc BURAS, Louisiana Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Apr 17, 2019 Mad River Armory & Range SPRINGFIELD, Ohio Gunshot wounds Hosp.
Apr 23, 2019 Optimized Process Design LLC KEENE, North Dakota Gunshot wounds Hosp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Workers injured on the job have the right to medical treatment covered by workers' compensation, wage replacement benefits during recovery, and protection against retaliation for reporting the injury. You have the right to file a complaint with OSHA if you believe your workplace is unsafe, and OSHA cannot reveal your identity to your employer without your consent. You also have the right to see your OSHA 300 injury log. If your employer denies a workers' comp claim, you can appeal through your state's workers' compensation board. An occupational health attorney can advise on complex cases involving denied claims or third-party liability.

After an employer reports a severe injury, OSHA decides whether to conduct an on-site inspection. Fatalities and amputations typically trigger automatic inspections. For hospitalizations and eye loss events, OSHA may conduct a phone/fax investigation or an on-site inspection based on the circumstances. During an inspection, OSHA compliance officers assess the accident scene, interview witnesses, review safety records, and identify violations. Citations and penalties may be issued. OSHA also works with the employer to abate hazardous conditions. All inspection results are published in OSHA's public inspection database at osha.gov.

You can file an OSHA complaint online at osha.gov/workers/file-complaint, by calling 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742), or by visiting your local OSHA area office. Complaints can be filed anonymously. OSHA prioritizes formal written complaints from workers. If you believe an imminent danger exists, call OSHA immediately — they are required to investigate immediately when there is reasonable grounds to believe imminent danger exists. Workers are protected from retaliation for filing complaints under Section 11(c) of the OSH Act; if you experience retaliation, file a separate complaint within 30 days of the adverse action.

About This OSHA Report

This is a severe injury report filed with OSHA. Employers are required to report all work-related fatalities and severe injuries within 8 to 24 hours. Browse more reports by employer, state, or industry below.

More from Harvard University More from Massachusetts Injuries by State By Industry
Browse All Injury Reports