How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 33,729 severe fracture cases over the last decade, with the pelvic region accounting for 13% of all reported incidents. These injuries often involve complex breaks that require surgical intervention and extended periods of immobilization.
Beyond the immediate pain, fractures frequently lead to long-term functional limitations and chronic mobility issues. You may find that these injuries permanently reduce your earning capacity and ability to perform essential job tasks.
Broken bone at work? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsWhat causes Fractures
Falls to lower levels account for 30% of all severe fracture cases, making them the most common cause of these injuries. You frequently suffer these breaks when climbing ladders, navigating uneven surfaces, or working on elevated platforms that lack proper guardrails.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 9,899 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 8,593 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 3,000 |
| 4 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 1,661 |
| 5 | Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | 1,466 |
| 6 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 1,035 |
| 7 | Nonroadway noncollision incident | 835 |
| 8 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 736 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 22% of all severe fractures, largely due to the high volume of heavy machinery and fast-paced production environments. Construction follows closely, where you are exposed to height-related risks and heavy equipment that can easily crush or break bones during routine operations.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports reveal that equipment failures, such as collapsing platforms or unstable ladders, are recurring factors in workplace fractures. If your injury occurred during a similar equipment failure or due to a lack of proper safety measures, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your case.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NM | Public Administration | "On 7/31/2025, an employee was training to ride an ATV when it went into a draw and she went over the front of the ATV, landing on the ground. The employee sustained a fractured arm." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was climbing an A-frame ladder to clear a jam in an overhead conveyance. The employee fell from the ladder to the plant floor and sustained fractured ribs." | |
| 2025 | OK | Construction | "An employee accessed a fixed (permanent) platform and a support beam failed causing him to fall through the grating approximately 8 feet to the ground level. Part of the platform structure also fell. The employee sustained fractures to his ribs and pelvis." | |
| 2025 | CO | Administrative Services | "An employee was picking up litter on the perimeter of the complex. He was outside the facility grounds by the railroad tracks when he tripped in the rocks and fell, striking his head and knees. The employee sustained a fractured knee." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was airing up a trailer tire in the gas station parking lot. When he stepped backward, he tripped over an elevated fuel riser and suffered a fractured right femur." | |
| 2025 | GA | Retail Trade | "An employee had been performing administrative duties in the office at the front of the store. She was opening the office door for a co-worker when she stumbled backward and fell on the floor. The employee sustained a fractured left hip." | |
| 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 | Mining | "An employee was working to assemble a rotator head onto a landing joint. The rotator head fell onto the employee's leg and fractured it." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "On July 31, 2025, an employee was walking when they fell on the concrete floor. The employee sustained a fractured right femur." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Manufacturing | "An employee was standing on the edge of the dumpster while pulling out cribbage. The employee fell to the ground, sustaining a fractured elbow and hip. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.