How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 22 severe cases involving computer and media equipment over the last decade. These incidents frequently result in serious trauma, with amputations accounting for 41% of all reported injuries.
The severity of these injuries is often tied to the weight and placement of the equipment. Fingers are the most affected body part, accounting for 36% of incidents, often crushed or severed when heavy electronics fall or during the adjustment of support gear like tripods.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving computer and media equipment most often occur when items are being mounted, moved, or collapsed. Struck by falling objects accounts for 33% of these incidents, typically happening when televisions or monitors are improperly secured during installation. Other common scenarios involve fingers becoming compressed in tripod legs or hands getting wedged between heavy office printers and door thresholds.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by falling object | 7 |
| 2 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 4 |
| 3 | Caught, entangled in running powered equipment— normal operation | 2 |
| 4 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 2 |
| 5 | Direct exposure to electricity | 2 |
| 6 | Injured by object handled by person | 1 |
| 7 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 1 |
| 8 | Overexertion while moving or manipulating external object(s)— unspecified | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Information, manufacturing, administrative services, and arts and entertainment each account for 14% of these severe incidents. These industries frequently require you to handle, install, or transport heavy media hardware, often under tight deadlines that can lead to rushed safety protocols or improper lifting techniques.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include equipment falling during wall mounting, fingers caught in collapsing tripod mechanisms, and hands crushed while moving heavy printers over uneven surfaces. 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 in your injury.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | FL | Retail Trade | "An employee was walking past a pallet of televisions when the televisions fell on her head and injured her head, neck, and left shoulder." | |
| 2023 | PA | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was mounting a TV when they dropped it. The employee suffered a partial amputation of the left index finger." | |
| 2023 | FL | Arts & Entertainment | "The injured employee was standing at the base of a ladder assisting another employee install a TV on a wall. The TV was dropped, striking the employee. They sustained a head injury." | |
| 2023 | TX | Information | "An employee was taking down his camera and tripod to put it away. As the employee was collapsing the tripod, their right ring finger became caught in the tripod legs, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2022 | FL | Construction | "Employees were moving a 397-pound plotter printer over a doorstop/threshold when the injured employee's hand became wedged between the bottom of the plotter and the doorstop. As the employee pulled his hand back, he sustained a partial amputation of the left middle finger." | |
| 2022 | FL | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was struck on the head by an overhead monitor, suffering a contusion." | |
| 2022 | NC | Public Administration | "A contractor was delivering an oversized item (AV equipment) weighing approximately 350 lbs. As the two delivery people were moving the item through the entrance of the building, they lost control of it and an employee moved forward to assist. The item fell on the employee's legs and knocked him to the ground. The employee sustained torn tendons (ACL) in both knees." | |
| 2022 | GA | Public Administration | "An employee was inspecting and testing an aircraft antenna gimbal. The employee was using a screwdriver to replicate a failure by tapping a wire bundle located under the head of the gimbal. The head of the gimbal rocked down, causing a laceration to his right middle finger. The employee's finger sustained a partial amputation." | |
| 2020 | FL | Administrative Services | "A temporary employee was working with a garbage collection truck. The employee's finger was cut by the edge of a television while picking it up. He sustained an amputation of the left ring finger, was hospitalized, and had surgery." | |
| 2018 | PA | Administrative Services | "An employee sustained a broken nose after being struck in the face by a tablet computer that fell from a residential roof." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.