How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,201 severe forearm injuries over the last decade, with fractures representing 45% of these incidents. These injuries often involve significant trauma, ranging from deep lacerations to complex bone breaks that require immediate surgical intervention.
Your forearm is essential for the range of motion and grip strength required in most manual labor roles. Damage to this area can lead to long-term limitations in dexterity and lifting capacity, directly impacting your ability to perform your job duties and sustain your career.
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Most severe forearm injuries occur when you are caught or entangled in running powered equipment, which accounts for 29% of all recorded incidents. These accidents often happen during routine operations where machinery lacks adequate guarding or when you are forced to clear a jam while the equipment is still active.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 344 |
| 2 | Injured by object handled by person | 120 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 88 |
| 4 | Fall on same level | 86 |
| 5 | Other fall to lower level | 63 |
| 6 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 60 |
| 7 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 41 |
| 8 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 38 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 45% of all severe forearm injuries, primarily due to the high density of conveyors and industrial machinery. In these environments, your constant interaction with fast-moving parts and heavy equipment creates a high-risk setting where a momentary lapse or equipment failure can result in life-altering physical damage.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you becoming entangled in rotating parts or suffering deep lacerations while using hand tools to clear debris from machinery. These incidents frequently occur when safety protocols are bypassed or equipment guarding fails to prevent contact with your limb. 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 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was working with a drill press when his glove and forearm were caught by the drill bit, resulting in lacerations and fractures to his right forearm. The employee's arm was amputated below the elbow." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was pushing fabric into a wind-up. The wind-up caught the employee's arm, pulled it forward, and broke the forearm. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was scraping dough off a plastic dough auger using a utility knife when the knife slipped and lacerated their left forearm. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | MA | Manufacturing | "An employee was grinding a part when the grinding disk got caught on the part and jumped outward, contacting the employee's left forearm. The employee suffered a gash and severed artery that required hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | FL | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee at an amusement park was helping a guest at an attraction when the employee fell to the ground, resulting in a fractured right forearm that required hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | VA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was using a pocket knife to cut a zip tie that was holding the slacked portion of line on a ratchet strap. The ratchet strap opened unexpectedly, causing the employee to lacerate an artery in his left forearm. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | FL | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was driving a forklift and unloading racks of glass from a truck. A rack began to tilt; the employee exited the forklift and went to stabilize it. The rack tipped and pinned his left arm against the forklift. The forearm was broken and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | CO | Manufacturing | "An employee was troubleshooting a caster machine. While removing a cap cover, the catch pan moved up and caught his right arm against the caster blocks. He suffered lacerations and an open break of the ulna. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee working on a sheet line was removing masking from the underside of plastic sheeting that was being lifted by a vacuum lift. The plastic sheet measured 4 feet wide, 14 feet long, and approximately 1 inch thick, and it weighed approximately 300 pounds. The vacuum lost suction and dropped the plastic sheet onto the employee's arm, pinning it between two sheets and resulting in a broken right forearm." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was putting paperwork in a box while sitting on a forklift when the accelerator was actuated. His right arm then became caught between a yellow concrete pole and the forklift. He was hospitalized with a fractured right forearm and a laceration." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.