How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 64 severe fire-related cases between 2015 and 2025. Thermal burns account for 81 percent of these incidents, often resulting in complex medical needs and extended recovery periods for affected employees.
These events are particularly dangerous because they frequently affect multiple body parts simultaneously. Workers often face long-term complications beyond initial skin damage, including respiratory issues from smoke inhalation and systemic health effects.
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Fire incidents in the workplace typically stem from the improper use of heating and cooking machinery or the mishandling of flammable substances like gasoline and petroleum products. Many injuries occur when employees attempt to manage small-scale fires without adequate training or personal protective equipment. These scenarios often involve electrical panels, debris piles, or food service equipment that has not been properly maintained or inspected for fire hazards.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thermal burns | 52 |
| 2 | Effects of poison, toxic, or allergenic exposure— unspecified | 6 |
| 3 | Poison, toxic, or allergenic effects— other respiratory | 2 |
| 4 | Poisoning, poisoning-related asphyxia | 2 |
| 5 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 1 |
| 6 | Intracranial Injuries | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 34 percent of all reported fire incidents, largely due to the presence of high-heat machinery and complex electrical systems. Construction and health care environments also see elevated risks, where the combination of flammable materials and confined workspaces can turn small ignition sources into severe, reportable injuries that require immediate hospitalization.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve workers sustaining injuries while attempting to extinguish small fires, often using improper equipment or lacking necessary protective gear. Other recurring scenarios include sudden electrical panel failures or accidents during controlled burns that quickly spiral out of control. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was outside, participating in fire extinguisher training onsite. She extinguished a fire and then the chemical from the fire got in her face. She started coughing and was hospitalized with trouble breathing." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was working on installing tubing to run electrical wiring to the other side of a building. The employee noticed smoke coming from the electrical panel and went to shut off the breaker. The electrical panel was on fire and the employee sustained burns to their right hand." | |
| 2025 | MS | Agriculture | "An employee was performing a controlled burn of brush at the end of a drainage pump using gasoline. The fire spread and the employee suffered burns to the legs and hands." | |
| 2025 | LA | Administrative Services | "An employee was using gasoline to start a fire on some wood debris and suffered burns to their right hand and forearm, resulting in hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | PA | Real Estate | "An employee was extinguishing a small ion battery fire when they began to have breathing issues, resulting in hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | FL | Health Care | "An employee was in a patient's room when a small electrical fire started. They were assisting with the fire and were exposed to smoke inhalation, resulting in hospitalization." | |
| 2024 | MS | Administrative Services | "An employee was using a torch to cut temporary support fasteners (steel bolts) on a concrete floor. Material on the floor ignited and the employee sustained burns to both hands and their right knee." | |
| 2024 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was burning cardboard boxes. He poured a flammable chemical on the boxes, and then his clothes caught on fire. The employee was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns to 33% of his body." | |
| 2024 | DC | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was unplugging an extension cord from an outlet when it began to spark and ignited, resulting in burns to their right hand." | |
| 2024 | FL | Health Care | "On October 17, 2025, at approximately 12:17 PM, an employee was standing in front of the grill with the green cutting board in his hand. As he moved to the right, he jostled the pan of butter which dripped onto the back of the grill causing it to flame up. At this point his vape pen combusted and exploded upwards into the metal ceiling causing a cylinder-shaped indentation. The employee's chef coat caught on fire, resulting in first- and second-degree burns to his forearms as well as burns to his mouth, nose, and hands. " |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.