How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 935 severe incidents involving falls from collapsing structures or equipment. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 65% of all reported cases. These injuries often require extensive medical intervention and long-term recovery.
You may face life-altering physical limitations after a fall. These incidents often result in traumatic fractures to the pelvis, ribs, and limbs when equipment fails or surfaces give way.
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Falls from heights often occur when equipment like scaffolds and staging, which account for 20% of all reported sources, fail during use. Portable ladders and stairs are another primary source of injury, frequently slipping or collapsing under you. These accidents often stem from structural failures in beams or platforms that leave you without a stable surface.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 593 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 89 |
| 3 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 51 |
| 4 | Intracranial Injuries | 43 |
| 5 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 37 |
| 6 | Multiple severe wounds and internal injuries | 23 |
| 7 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 17 |
| 8 | Injuries to the brain, spinal cord and other injuries | 13 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 50% of reported fall incidents. Working on elevated decks, trusses, and temporary structures requires strict adherence to fall protection regulations to keep you safe.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve structural failures where platforms, beams, or ladders collapse unexpectedly while in use. You may find yourself falling through floor openings or off elevated lifts due to equipment instability. 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 | OK | Construction | "An employee accessed a fixed (permanent) platform and a support beam failed causing him to fall through the grating approximately 8 feet to the ground level. Part of the platform structure also fell. The employee sustained fractures to his ribs and pelvis." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Information | "An employee was working on a ladder that was placed on a paved driveway at the side of a house. The ladder slipped out from under him and he fell to the ground, sustaining fractures to his right elbow and left wrist." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee's leg went through a part of the floor that was missing a floor tile and he sustained a dislocated shoulder while catching himself." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was coming down from the upper deck using a ladder when the ladder collapsed and the employee fell to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to an elbow and rib. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NY | Information | "An employee was working from a raised scissor lift to fix an overhead garage door. The lift tipped over and the employee fell to the concrete floor about 18-20 feet below. The employee suffered a head injury, broken ribs, and a broken pelvis." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was cleaning the brine tank and went to activate the dumper switch, which was down and around a corner from where he was positioned. The employee reached down and around to flip the switch. The movable stairs he was on then became unsteady and overturned. He fell to the ground and sustained fractures to his wrist, femur, hip, and pelvis. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | PA | Retail Trade | "An employee was on a 6-foot ladder working to adjust a camera system around the ceiling tile. The ladder buckled and the employee fell to the floor, sustaining a laceration to his head and a compression fracture to his lower back. The employee was hospitalized and required staples for the laceration." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "An employee was power washing the roof in preparation for installing a roof coating. The employee stepped on a translucent skylight panel on the roof and fell through the panel, landing approximately 15 feet below. The employee sustained brain swelling and fractured ribs." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was going up a ladder from the first level roof to the second level roof. The ladder slipped and the employee fell approximately 8 to 10 feet to the surface on the first level. The employee sustained fractures to three ribs and bruises on their arms and hands." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was on a scaffold installing masonry veneer when a plank on the scaffolding fell from its supports, causing the employee to fall approximately 13 feet to the ground below. The employee sustained fractured ribs and a punctured lung." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.