How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 355 severe cases involving chips, particles, and pellets over the last decade. Cuts and lacerations account for 59% of these incidents, often resulting in deep tissue damage that requires immediate medical intervention.
These injuries are particularly dangerous because they frequently strike your eyes, which account for 29% of all reported cases. When high-velocity particles penetrate your body, the resulting trauma often leads to long-term vision loss or complex surgical recovery.
How these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you are struck by propelled objects or substances, which accounts for 82% of all recorded incidents. This happens when tools or machinery shatter during use, such as when hammering pins or metal collars, or when high-pressure systems like abrasive blast hoses are accidentally triggered. These events turn small fragments into dangerous projectiles that can easily pierce your skin or damage delicate eye tissue.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 271 |
| 2 | Struck against stationary object | 14 |
| 3 | Inhalation of harmful substance | 13 |
| 4 | Struck by falling object | 12 |
| 5 | Injured by object handled by person | 6 |
| 6 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 5 |
| 7 | Exposure to harmful substance through exposed tissue | 2 |
| 8 | Rubbed or abraded by non-running object | 2 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 34% of these injuries, followed by construction at 24%. In these environments, the constant use of high-impact tools and heavy machinery creates a risk for material splintering. Your employer is required to implement strict machine guarding and provide adequate face protection to prevent these high-velocity accidents.
Real cases like yours
Incident reports reveal a recurring pattern of you being struck by shrapnel during routine tasks like hammering, grinding, or operating high-pressure equipment. These injuries often occur when tools fail or when safety protocols are bypassed, leading to sudden and life-altering trauma. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was hammering a pin into an engine. When he struck the pin with the hammer, the pin shattered and a small piece entered the employee's leg. He was hospitalized and required surgery to remove the shard." | |
| 2025 | VA | Mining | "An employee had been performing abrasive blasting operations in the sonar dome of a submarine. The employee completed replacing the outer blast glass layer on their blast hood and, while kneeling, the dead-man switch on their blast hose was actuated. High pressure (125-130 psi) air and blast media struck and injured their left forearm and hand. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | NY | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was putting dishes into a cabinet when a drinking glass fell out. The glass hit the counter and broke, cutting the back side of the employee's wrist. The employee sustained a laceration and tendon damage to their right wrist." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "An employee was hammering a metal collar on a piece of equipment when a small piece of metal broke off and entered their arm and hand. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "Two employees were hammering railroad spikes onto railroad ties when shrapnel splintered off the metal head of the spike maul. A metal fragment pierced the injured employee's upper left arm." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was removing glass storefront panels. One of the panels broke as he was going to place it on the ground. Broken glass lacerated the left side of his neck. He received stiches, was hospitalized, and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | WI | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was changing a stainless steel die in the pellet mill. The die was stuck and the employee used a hammer to loosen and remove it. A metal shard came off the die and struck the employee's abdomen causing a severe puncture wound." | |
| 2025 | FL | Administrative Services | "Three employees were removing a mirror as part of a demolition/cleanup job. The mirror began to crack and then broke apart. Part of it fell onto the injured employee's left arm, severely lacerating it." | |
| 2025 | NY | Construction | "An employee was snaking out a drain when a piece of glass came up from the drain and flew into the employee's mouth. The employee was hospitalized due to the ingestion of a piece of glass." | |
| 2025 | TX | Mining | "An employee was sandblasting in the bay and was maneuvering around the blowout preventer (BOP) when the sandblasting hose became caught on a corner of the BOP. The nozzle of the hose jerked downward, discharging high-pressure abrasive material at the employee's upper left thigh. The employee was hospitalized with a high-pressure injection injury." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, injuries sustained from flying debris while performing your work duties are generally covered under Workers' Compensation. This includes medical expenses for emergency surgery, rehabilitation, and potential disability benefits if your vision is impaired. An attorney can help you ensure your claim accurately reflects the severity of your injury.
Your employer is required to provide appropriate personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses or face shields, and ensure that machinery is properly guarded to contain debris. Under OSHA standards, they must also provide training on the safe use of tools that produce shrapnel. Failure to maintain these safeguards may be grounds for a legal claim.
In most cases, Workers' Compensation is the exclusive remedy for your workplace injury, meaning you cannot sue your employer directly. However, if a third-party tool manufacturer produced a defective product that shattered, you may have a separate personal injury claim. An attorney can help you evaluate whether a third-party liability claim is possible in your situation.
Employers often attempt to shift blame to you to avoid liability, but Workers' Compensation is a no-fault system. You are generally entitled to benefits regardless of who caused the accident, provided it occurred within the scope of your employment. An attorney can help you push back against these claims and protect your right to benefits.