How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 589 severe eye injuries between 2015 and 2025. These incidents often involve deep lacerations, punctures, or fractures that require immediate surgical intervention to prevent permanent vision loss.
The functional impact of an eye injury is profound, as it directly threatens your ability to perform precision tasks, operate machinery, or maintain the visual acuity required for your trade. Beyond the immediate pain, these injuries often lead to long-term complications that can permanently limit your earning capacity and quality of life.
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Free Benefits ReviewHow these injuries happen
Most eye injuries occur when you are struck by propelled objects or substances, which accounts for 38% of all reported incidents. These accidents frequently involve small chips, particles, or pellets ejected from high-speed tools or pressurized lines, often bypassing standard safety glasses when equipment is not properly guarded or maintained.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 220 |
| 2 | Injured by object handled by person | 71 |
| 3 | Exposure to harmful substance through exposed tissue | 48 |
| 4 | Fall on same level | 34 |
| 5 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 31 |
| 6 | Struck against stationary object | 29 |
| 7 | Struck by falling object | 24 |
| 8 | Other fall to lower level | 23 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 23% of reported eye injuries, followed by manufacturing at 22%. These environments are high-risk because they involve constant exposure to airborne debris, pressurized systems, and heavy machinery that can eject metallic fragments or chemicals without warning.
Real cases like yours
Many reported incidents follow a recurring pattern where pressurized equipment, snap-back from tensioned straps, or chemical reactions cause sudden, high-velocity impact to your face. If you were struck by an object or exposed to hazardous chemicals while performing your job duties, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was conducting abatement operations using a floor grinder. The grinder came in contact with the plastic cord of a window blind, causing the grinder's handle to strike the employee near the right eye. The employee suffered a fracture near the eye socket, along with a laceration near the eye." | |
| 2025 | ID | Agriculture | "Three maintenance employees were working on chemical lines feeding into a large above ground wastewater treatment tank. Sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid reacted in a floor drain and the chemicals sprayed onto the three employees. One employee was taken to the hospital for burns to his eyes." | |
| 2025 | TX | Wholesale Trade | "A driver was strapping down metal to put on the truck. The metal strapping snapped back and hit his left eye. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery for a ruptured globe." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "On June 26, 2025, a pipe testing specialist was preparing to service a sewer cleanout. They opened a valve and were struck in the face by pressurized water. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to their left eye socket and eyebrow." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was adding a new gauge for a pipe when air pressure built up and ejected the new metallic valve. The valve struck the employee, resulting in an eye injury and a fracture to the face beneath the eye." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "The injured employee was helping a co-worker secure finishing material to a pallet using steel strapping (5/8" wide, 0.20" thick). The co-worker went to hand the strapping to the injured employee when they bent down and their right eye contacted the steel strapping, resulting in a laceration to the cornea and injury to the retina." | |
| 2025 | LA | Manufacturing | "An employee was in a physical altercation with another employee and he was hospitalized with an orbital fracture and bleeding behind the eye." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was cleaning an upper mezzanine. When he leaned against the mezzanine gate, he fell through the gate opening and landed 11 feet below. The employee sustained fractured orbital bones." | |
| 2025 | FL | Other Services | "An employee was using a pry bar to remove a vehicle door. The pry bar slipped out of the employee's hands and hit their face below the right eye, causing a corneal laceration that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "Two employees were removing a discharge hose on a portable pump. A 50% caustic solution sprayed onto the employees, one of whom suffered burns to the eyes as well as an abrasion to the side of the body where the hose struck them. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.