How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 122 severe cases of you falling to lower levels over the reporting period. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 53% of all reported incidents.
These falls frequently result in severe trauma to the brain and upper extremities. The long-term impact of these injuries often requires you to seek extensive medical care and take time away from your job.
Common injuries
Falls from heights typically occur when you lose your balance while using portable ladders, step ladders, or working on rooftops. These incidents often involve a failure to secure equipment or a lack of proper fall protection systems. When a pipe jack slips or a ladder shifts on an uneven surface, the resulting fall can lead to life-altering injuries.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 65 |
| 2 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 15 |
| 3 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 10 |
| 4 | Intracranial Injuries | 10 |
| 5 | Multiple severe wounds and internal injuries | 8 |
| 6 | Injuries to the brain, spinal cord and other injuries | 4 |
| 7 | Multiple surface and flesh wounds | 3 |
| 8 | Other multiple traumatic injuries— n.e.c. | 2 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction accounts for 37% of all reported fall incidents. The nature of construction work requires you to use ladders and elevated structures frequently, where even a minor lapse in safety protocols or equipment stability can lead to a significant fall.
Real cases like yours
Many reported incidents follow a recurring pattern where you are performing routine tasks like wiring fixtures or insulating pipes when your equipment fails or shifts. These accounts often highlight how a sudden loss of balance or an unexpected strike from falling materials leads to a catastrophic descent. 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 | MD | Construction | "An employee was on an A-frame ladder while preforming demolition of a ceiling. A section of HVAC ductwork fell on the employee and knocked them to the ground approximately 12 feet below. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion and lacerations." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was on a 10-foot ladder, working to insulate 24-inch piping that was 12 feet above the ground. The pipe jack/steel tube used to raise the pipe slipped, causing the steel tube to strike the employee's face. The impact caused the employee to fall off the ladder and sustain fractures to their left tibia and fibula." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "On July 26, 2025, an employee was on a ladder wiring an air handling unit. He sustained an electrical shock from a 277-volt wire, then fell approximately 6 feet hitting his head and back on the floor. The employee sustained fractures to the side of their face and their T6 vertebra." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was on a rooftop, supervising the lifting of a 30' x 30' structure manufactured from I-beams. The employee was knocked to the ground and the suspended load settled on them. The employee sustained a head injury, loss of an eye, and fractured ribs." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "Employees were upgrading lighting fixtures in the accounting offices. The injured employee was on a ladder working on a ceiling light fixture. He came into contact with the metal grating surrounding the fixture and sustained an electrical shock that caused him to lose balance and fall approximately 3 to 4 feet to the floor. The injured employee sustained a fractured pelvis and a torn rotator cuff." | |
| 2025 | IL | Utilities | "An employee was on a ladder while attaching insulated lugs to wires outside of a customer's home. The employee was electrocuted and his body locked up, causing him to fall off the ladder onto the ground feet first. The employee suffered electrocution injuries and shattered both ankles." | |
| 2025 | AL | Administrative Services | "An employee was working from a bucket truck about 30 feet in the air. A tree section the employee had just cut made contact with the bucket or boom of the truck, and the employee was forced out of the bucket. The employee fell to the ground and suffered broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, a broken collarbone, and a collapsed lung." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was working in an electrical junction box and was shocked by an energized circuit. The employee fell off a ladder about 3-4 feet to a cement floor, sustaining fractures to his left shoulder and right heel. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On July 9, 2025, a crane operator was replacing a fuse behind the upper cab of a crane. They had been kneeling and holding a panel surrounding the engine compartment. When they began to stand up, the panel unexpectedly came loose. The employee lost their balance and fell to the asphalt below, suffering a broken hip." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "The injured employee loaded a container onto a railcar and then mounted the railcar to put in the locking mechanism for the container. The employee was struck by another container that a crane was loading onto the railcar and fell approximately four feet from the railcar to the concrete ground. The employee sustained fractures to their pelvis, shoulder, and two ribs." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Falls from ladders frequently result in fractures, intracranial injuries, and severe wounds. These injuries can affect your brain, chest, and lower extremities depending on the height and the surface you impact. An attorney can help you understand how to document these specific injuries for your claim.
Employers are required to provide you with safe equipment and appropriate fall protection under OSHA standards. If your fall was caused by faulty equipment or a lack of safety training, your employer may be liable for your medical costs and lost wages. An attorney can help you evaluate whether your employer met these safety obligations.
You may be entitled to Workers' Compensation benefits, which cover your medical expenses and a portion of your lost income. Depending on the circumstances, you might also have grounds for a personal injury claim if a third party was involved. An attorney can help you verify that you are receiving the full benefits you are owed.
Proving unsafe conditions involves gathering evidence such as incident reports, witness statements, and documentation of the equipment involved. OSHA records and safety violation reports are also critical pieces of evidence in your case. An attorney can help you guide the process of collecting this information to support your claim.