How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 242 severe cases involving high-pressure water systems over the last decade. Cuts, lacerations, and punctures without internal damage account for 73% of these reported incidents, often occurring when high-velocity streams breach your protective gear.
These injuries are frequently severe because pressurized water can penetrate deep into your tissue. With 21% of injuries affecting your feet and 12% impacting your hands, you may face long-term recovery and potential loss of function.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
The vast majority of these injuries occur when you are struck by a propelled object or substance, specifically the high-pressure water stream itself. This happens when equipment malfunctions, hoses burst, or you lose control of the wand, allowing the stream to contact your skin directly. In some cases, improper handling or lack of adequate safety shielding during cleaning operations leads to these high-velocity impacts.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 228 |
| 2 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 9 |
| 3 | Exposure to change in water pressure | 4 |
| 4 | Indirect exposure to electricity | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Administrative services account for 26% of these severe injuries, often due to the widespread use of pressure washing in facility maintenance and cleaning contracts. Construction and manufacturing follow closely, as these environments rely on high-pressure equipment for heavy-duty cleaning and surface preparation, where the risk of accidental discharge is heightened by fast-paced work environments.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you sustaining deep lacerations while operating high-pressure hoses for cleaning tasks, often when the stream contacts your gloved hands or ankles. These incidents frequently highlight failures in equipment handling or the inadequacy of personal protective gear during high-pressure operations. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | OH | Manufacturing | "On November 25, 2023, an employee was using a high-pressured water hose to perform sewer line cleaning operations. The employee's right little finger and palm were lacerated by pressurized water from the hose." | |
| 2023 | TX | Administrative Services | "An employee was hydroblasting when they slipped and the pressurized water stream lacerated their left ankle." | |
| 2023 | LA | Construction | "An employee was using a 20,000-pound per square inch (psi) pressure washer when they sustained a laceration between their right thumb and index finger from the water pressure." | |
| 2023 | WI | Manufacturing | "On October 17, 2023, at 2:30 p.m., an employee was cleaning a combine with a pressure washer when the water jet contacted his gloved hands. The employee suffered a laceration to their finger that required hospitalization." | |
| 2023 | WA | Agriculture | "An employee was diving for sea cucumbers at a depth of approximately 70 feet. After completing the dive, they began to feel numbness in their legs and were hospitalized for decompression sickness." | |
| 2023 | FL | Construction | "An employee was working near a colleague that was using a high-pressure wand. When the colleague opened the valve, the injured employee's left hand was lacerated by a high pressure water stream." | |
| 2023 | NE | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was pressure washing a trailer exterior. As he was holding the hose, it slipped and water from the pressure washer nozzle grazed his left hand. The employee sustained a quarter-inch laceration to the palm side of the left middle finger." | |
| 2023 | AR | Manufacturing | "On 8/9/2023, an employee was pressure washing a mandrel shell when the pressurized mixture lacerated their right hand near the thumb. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2023 | FL | Health Care | "A scuba employee was diving when he ascended to the surface and suffered decompression syndrome." | |
| 2023 | FL | Construction | "An employee was using a vacuum truck to clean a 6-inch pipe. The hose and water, with approximately 1500-1600 PSI, struck the employee in the face, resulting in the loss of an eye and skull fractures." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.