How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 145 severe thoracic spine cases between 2015 and 2025. Fractures account for 85 percent of these incidents, often requiring extensive medical intervention and long-term recovery.
Damage to the thoracic region is particularly debilitating because it supports the rib cage and protects vital internal organs. A fracture in this area can severely limit your mobility, restrict your ability to lift or twist, and threaten your long-term earning capacity in physically demanding roles.
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Free Benefits ReviewHow these injuries happen
Falls are the primary driver of thoracic spine trauma, with other falls to a lower level accounting for 43 percent of all reported cases. Whether you experience a ladder kicking out on a construction site or a slip on a wet floor in a commercial kitchen, the force of a sudden impact against a hard surface frequently results in spinal fractures.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 62 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 35 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 15 |
| 4 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 6 |
| 5 | Nonroadway noncollision incident | 5 |
| 6 | Overexertion while materials moving by hand | 3 |
| 7 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 2 |
| 8 | Violent acts by other person— unspecified | 2 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 24 percent of reported thoracic injuries, largely due to the high-risk nature of working at heights. Manufacturing follows at 19 percent, where you are often exposed to heavy machinery and uneven floor surfaces that increase the risk of a catastrophic fall.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you falling from ladders, scaffolding, or elevated platforms while performing routine inspections or maintenance. These incidents often stem from equipment failure, such as loose steps or unstable walk boards, which leave you with little time to react before striking the ground. If your injury occurred during a similar fall or due to unsafe equipment, an attorney can help you evaluate the evidence.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | PA | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was washing pots at the dish sink. They stepped back from the sink, tripped on a raised floor drain grate, and fell backward to the floor. The employee sustained a laceration to the ear that required surgery and a back injury with T9 - T10 spinal fractures." | |
| 2025 | MO | Construction | "An employee finished an inspection. He was coming down a ladder when the bottom of the ladder kicked out, causing him to fall. The employee sustained a fractured T12 vertebra and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | LA | Manufacturing | "An employee was going to take a truck for a test drive. He was exiting the truck and stepped on the top step. The step came loose and caused the employee to fall to the concrete ground. His head hit the bottom of the step of the truck next to him. The employee was hospitalized with a compression fracture to his T12 vertebra." | |
| 2025 | ID | Manufacturing | "At about 3:30 p.m. on May 8, 2025, an employee slipped and fell backward while walking around equipment. He landed on the ground, near a water trench into which a steam line and a condensation return line were piped. Hot water from the trench burned his back between the shoulder blades." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was reconfiguring a scaffold after moving it. The employee screwed walk boards together and went to test it when the screws came out and the boards gave way. He fell 16 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to his T11 and T12 vertebrae." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was unloading cement powder and was climbing down the front of a bulk cement tanker when he lost his footing and fell, striking his back on the truck frame. The employee sustained a fractured T7 vertebra." | |
| 2025 | OH | Retail Trade | "The injured employee was helping a customer load product into their vehicle while another associate was lining up a forklift to move a pallet of salt. The injured employee tripped over the forks of the forklift and fell on the ground, sustaining a contusion to their upper back. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | FL | Health Care | "An employee went to sit in a chair. The chair rolled and the employee fell to the floor, sustaining a fracture to their T7 vertebra. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Health Care | "An employee's T12 vertebrae was fractured after she jumped onto a hospital bed to sleep." | |
| 2025 | MO | Construction | "An employee was doing metal siding work. They fell from a 9-foot tall platform on the upper level of a garage to the concrete sidewalk and were hospitalized with fractures of their T5 and T6 vertebrae. Fall protection was not in place at the time." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.