How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 850 severe cases of bruising and contusions over the past decade. These injuries frequently result from high-impact events that require immediate medical intervention.
While often dismissed as minor, severe contusions can lead to deep tissue damage and long-term mobility issues. These injuries frequently impact your ability to perform physical tasks, potentially limiting your future earning capacity and requiring extended recovery time.
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Other falls to lower levels account for 23% of these severe injuries. Most cases occur when you lose your footing on uneven surfaces, are struck by falling objects, or become caught between heavy machinery and stationary structures.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 189 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 135 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 102 |
| 4 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 41 |
| 5 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 41 |
| 6 | Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | 38 |
| 7 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 36 |
| 8 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 25 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 24% of these incidents. The high volume of heavy machinery, industrial vehicles, and complex material handling processes in this sector creates a constant risk of blunt force trauma and crushing accidents.
Real cases like yours
These incidents often involve failures in basic safety protocols, such as inadequate trench shoring, improper equipment maintenance, or lack of clear pathways for heavy machinery. If your injury occurred during a similar equipment failure or due to a lack of proper safety barriers, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your case.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | PA | Other Services | "An employee was working on a tractor's brakes when the vehicle lunged forward and the tire rolled over his lower leg. He was hospitalized with bruising." | |
| 2025 | MA | Health Care | "An employee was walking down the hallway and pushing her computer cart. She caught her left foot on the wheel of another computer cart and then went to grab her own cart that was directly in front of her. Her cart moved and she fell to the floor, landing on her left side. The employee sustained contusions to her left side, back, hip, and knee." | |
| 2025 | CO | Construction | "An employee was digging out and cleaning a 10-foot deep trench he'd just finished excavating. He climbed into the trench to conduct a sewer line repair and the trench collapsed on top of him. As a result of the cave-in, another employee jumped into the trench to save him, causing further injury. The employee was severely bruised and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NY | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was delivering propane tanks. He was unloading the propane tanks off a flatbed trailer onto the ground using a crane next to where he was standing. His knee became pinned between two 500-gallon propane tanks, resulting in bruising and swelling of the right knee that required hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | FL | Retail Trade | "On June 24,2025, the injured employee had assisted another employee with removing a violent person from the premises. The person tried to get back into the store and started wrestling the employees. This caused the injured employee to trip and fall onto the pavement. The employee was hospitalized with a hematoma to their right hip." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was descending from a tractor when they fell backward and struck their lower back, left elbow, and head on the pavement, resulting in lumbar and scalp contusions." | |
| 2025 | GA | Manufacturing | "On June 9, 2025, a machine operator was using a sorting machine to sort/clean plastic sheets. While she was freeing stuck sheets on the lift table, the table engaged and crushed her against the top railing, trapping her torso. The employee was hospitalized with contusions to her back." | |
| 2025 | MT | Other Services | "An employee was opening a tailgate on a customer's truck when it unlatched and he fell to the ground. He struck his neck on the truck's trailer ball hitch as he fell, resulting in dizziness, nausea, and discomfort. The employee was hospitalized with a neck contusion." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was capping bottles of skin therapy oil when the plastic cover for the light fixture fell and struck them on the head. The employee was hospitalized with a head contusion." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "An employee was replacing a panel inside a nacelle (wind turbine component) that was at ground level. When he stood up from a crouching position, he struck his head on a metal bracket. The employee was hospitalized with a hematoma on the left side of his head." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.