How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 507 severe foot injuries between 2015 and 2025. Fractures are the most common nature of these injuries, representing 54% of all reported cases, often requiring extensive surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
Your feet are essential for mobility, balance, and your ability to perform physical labor. A severe injury to your heel or mid-foot can permanently alter your gait, limit your ability to stand for long periods, and impact your long-term earning capacity in manual trades.
How these injuries happen
Falls to lower levels are the leading cause of severe foot injuries, accounting for 33% of all reported incidents. You may sustain these injuries when falling from ladders, scaffolds, or elevated platforms, landing with enough force to shatter your heel bone or rupture your heel pad.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 168 |
| 2 | Struck by falling object | 56 |
| 3 | Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | 47 |
| 4 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 40 |
| 5 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 33 |
| 6 | Struck against stationary object | 21 |
| 7 | Nonroadway noncollision incident | 17 |
| 8 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 16 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 27% of all severe foot injuries, largely due to the constant presence of heavy machinery and industrial vehicles. In these environments, the combination of slick surfaces, moving equipment, and elevated work areas creates a high risk for crush injuries and falls.
Real cases like yours
Many reported incidents involve you falling from heights or getting your feet caught between heavy equipment and stationary objects. These narratives often reveal a pattern of inadequate fall protection or unsafe floor conditions that lead to life-altering fractures. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was installing an acoustic ceiling grid while on a two-tier bakers scaffold approximately 11 feet high. While moving the scaffold over, he lost his balance and fell from the scaffold to the cement floor. The employee sustained fractures to both heels." | |
| 2025 | IL | Wholesale Trade | "A warehouse employee was operating a forklift in the freezer area. While making a turn, the forklift slid on condensation that had accumulated on the freezer floor. The forklift struck a yellow pole that designates the exit path and the employee s left heel became caught between the forklift and the yellow pole, resulting in a heel pad avulsion, or rupture of the heel fat pad. The employee's injury required surgery and hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was walking on a rail container catwalk and removing a lock that guides the container onto the chassis and locks it into place. The employee tripped over a guard on the rail container and lost his balance, causing him to jump 4 feet to the crushed rock ground surface. He landed on his feet, resulting in hospitalization for a fractured left heel that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | MA | Wholesale Trade | "An employee jumped from a trailer to the pavement and sustained two fractured heels." | |
| 2025 | NY | Construction | "An employee was welding a 12-inch steam line while standing on top of a boiler. While descending from the boiler, the employee lost his footing and slipped off a 6-foot A-frame ladder and his left foot struck the floor. The employee sustained a fractured left heel." | |
| 2025 | MA | Construction | "An employee was on a 12-foot ladder working above a drop ceiling when he lost balance and fell about 10 feet to the ground, landing on his feet. The employee sustained a Lisfranc fracture and dislocation to their left foot. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was rinsing the top of a dough mixer using a power washer. The spray struck his left foot, resulting in a laceration/puncture to the top of the foot." | |
| 2025 | NY | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was riding a pallet jack when it slid on a wet spot. When he went to jump off, his right foot was caught between the machine and the warehouse curb. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to his right heel." | |
| 2025 | NY | Transportation & Warehousing | "A forklift backed into an employee who was standing on a dock. His left foot was broken and the skin was removed." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating an electric pallet jack in a warehouse. As he turned out of one aisle into another, he had to reverse to get a better angle. While reversing, the pallet jack struck a metal guardrail and trapped the employee's right ankle against it. The employee's foot was broken." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Workers' Compensation is designed to cover your medical expenses and lost wages for work-related fractures. Because these injuries often require surgery and prolonged immobilization, you may be entitled to temporary disability benefits while you recover. An attorney can help ensure your claim accurately reflects the full extent of your medical needs.
Employers are required to maintain safe walking and working surfaces under OSHA standards. If your fall occurred because of defective equipment or a lack of proper fall protection, you may have grounds for a claim beyond standard Workers' Compensation. An attorney can help you investigate whether your employer violated safety regulations that contributed to your injury.
Recovery times vary significantly based on the severity of your fracture or avulsion and the success of your surgical intervention. You may face months of physical therapy and experience permanent limitations that affect your ability to return to your previous job duties. An attorney can help you evaluate how these long-term impacts should be factored into your benefits.
Injuries involving industrial vehicles are common and typically covered under Workers' Compensation. When a forklift or other heavy equipment causes a crush injury, the complexity of your claim often increases due to the severity of the damage. Speaking with an attorney can help you navigate the process of documenting your incident and securing the benefits you deserve.