How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 280 severe cases involving same-level slips and trips over the last decade. Fractures are the most common outcome, accounting for 34% of all reported incidents in this category.
These events frequently target your ankles, which represent 27% of all injured body parts. The resulting injuries often require extensive medical intervention and time away from work to recover.
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Most same-level slips and trips are driven by your own bodily motion, which accounts for 67% of all recorded incidents. These events often occur when you walk across constructed surfaces or uneven flooring that has not been properly maintained. When you lose your footing, the sudden strain on your musculoskeletal system can lead to immediate, severe damage even if you do not hit the ground.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 96 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 37 |
| 3 | Sprains, strains, tears | 36 |
| 4 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 36 |
| 5 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 22 |
| 6 | Dislocations | 16 |
| 7 | Thermal burns | 14 |
| 8 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 9 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 24% of all severe slip and trip cases. The pace of these environments, combined with frequent movement across industrial flooring, creates risk for you. Construction and warehousing also report significant numbers, as you often navigate cluttered or temporary surfaces that increase the likelihood of a trip or stumble.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports show you suffering debilitating ankle fractures or back strains while simply walking through a facility or parking lot. Many incidents involve navigating around equipment, moving across wet surfaces, or encountering unexpected floor irregularities. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine your options.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was preparing to conduct a 6-foot welding operation to repair a ladle plate. When he stepped forward on a scaffolding platform to conduct the weld, his right foot slipped and his right ankle was wrenched and broken. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was walking across the parking lot from his vehicle to the facility when he suffered a twisted left ankle that resulted in an open compound fracture." | |
| 2025 | MA | Health Care | "An employee tripped on a raised area of the floor while walking and stumbled but did not fall, aggravating an inguinal hernia. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | FL | Wholesale Trade | "On June 2, 2025, an employee was applying labels to boxes and began walking away when they missed a step and twisted their left ankle. The employee sustained a fractured left ankle." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was washing the chutes of a concrete mixer truck. When he went to move one of the chutes, he slipped in the mud, twisting his back. The employee sustained a strained back." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was performing concrete work as part of a crew for the construction of a new building when they slipped on a gravel surface and their knee twisted. The employee was hospitalized with a torn ligament/tendon in the knee that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | ME | Health Care | "An employee was responding to an emergency call at the end of a pier when they stepped into a gap in the pier boards, resulting in a broken tibia, fibula, and ankle." | |
| 2025 | NE | Manufacturing | "An employee was pulling the hose on a concrete pump truck when they slipped, causing their leg to become caught in the step. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured leg." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking on a plywood boardwalk in an alcove between two walls of a building that was under construction. He turned, stumbled, and had to lunge to correct himself. His right foot was caught in a divot as he spun, and he fractured and sprained his right ankle. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | MA | Agriculture | "An employee was walking through the kitchen when they slipped and strained their lower back, resulting in hospitalization." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.