How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,459 severe incidents involving swinging or suspended objects over the last decade. These events frequently result in amputations, which account for 50% of all reported cases, often leaving you with permanent physical limitations.
The danger lies in the sudden, high-force impact of heavy equipment or structural components. Fingers are the most affected body part, suffering 55% of all injuries as you attempt to stabilize or catch moving objects.
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Free Benefits ReviewCommon injuries
Injuries often occur when structural barriers or heavy equipment like cranes shift unexpectedly during operation. Doors that are structurally attached represent the most frequent source of these accidents, often slamming shut on your hands or fingers without warning. Other common scenarios involve pipes, ducts, or machine parts that swing into your path, causing severe fractures or crushing injuries.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 719 |
| 2 | Fractures | 355 |
| 3 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 130 |
| 4 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 76 |
| 5 | Intracranial Injuries | 49 |
| 6 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 32 |
| 7 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 27 |
| 8 | Bruises, contusions | 16 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 28% of these incidents, where the high volume of heavy machinery and moving production lines creates constant risk. Construction follows as a high-risk environment, where the use of cranes and large structural components requires strict adherence to safety protocols to prevent swinging loads from striking you.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you attempting to manually maneuver heavy loads or stabilize closing doors, only to have your fingers or limbs caught in the path of the object. These incidents often occur during routine maintenance or when entering and exiting workspaces. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you understand your legal options.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | GA | Manufacturing | "A drive chain broke at the wave feeder on the log line infeed. The injured employee came to help move logs with a remote-controlled hoist so they could reach the chain sprocket. He connected the log grapple to a log and started to lift the log with the hoist. The log rolled and pinned his left leg against another log, fracturing his leg. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "A subcontracted engineer was advising maintenance how to make a modification to the embossing roll system on a new line. Maintenance was bringing the motor and gearbox down with a crane. The load shifted when it was a few inches from the ground. The engineer went to catch/maneuver the gearbox and the fingers on his left hand were crushed between the I-beam base of the gearbox and the concrete floor. A finger was amputated." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was entering a building and reached out to catch a closing door. The door closed on the employee's finger, resulting in the partial amputation of the fingertip and nailbed." | |
| 2025 | VA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was getting out of a postal vehicle when the door shut on his right ring finger, severing his fingertip. The employee's right ring fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | FL | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee's hand was on a door frame when the door slammed shut. Her left little finger was amputated at the first joint." | |
| 2025 | WI | Administrative Services | "An employee was opening a door to a semi trailer at the facility and his hand was caught between the door and another parked semi. The employee's left index finger was fractured and thumb muscles were injured. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. " | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating an overhead crane using a remote control. They went to control the movement of a suspended load and their hand became caught between the suspended load and other objects. The employee sustained amputation of their left little finger." | |
| 2025 | WV | Manufacturing | "An employee was moving a 4x4 box jacket with an overhead crane. The employee hooked a chain to the jacket and put tension on it. It spun awkwardly, striking the employee and knocking him over. The employee fell on the same level and sustained a fractured rib and lacerations to his lower left abdomen and backside." | |
| 2025 | OK | Agriculture | "An employee was making rounds to the barns to take care of cattle. The employee was stepping out of a van and the sliding door closed on their little finger. The employee's fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | ID | Agriculture | "An employee was working in a holding pen, using a crowd gate to herd cows into milking stalls. She was moving to beat the crowd gate to a manhole, but the gate moved and struck the employee. The employee was hospitalized with two fractured processes in her lower vertebrae." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.