How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 76 severe cases involving earth and stone materials over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 34% of all reported incidents, often resulting from the sheer weight and density of these materials.
These injuries frequently impact your lower legs. The force of shifting or falling earth often leads to complex orthopedic damage that requires extensive surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving earth and stone materials typically occur when you are struck by propelled or falling objects. This happens when loose clay or rock dislodges from excavation walls or spoil piles, striking you below. In other cases, shifting materials can trap you or cause you to lose your balance, leading to falls from heights or crushing injuries.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 21 |
| 2 | Struck by falling object | 15 |
| 3 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 12 |
| 4 | Other fall to lower level | 4 |
| 5 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 3 |
| 6 | Overexertion while materials moving by hand | 3 |
| 7 | Rubbed or abraded by non-running object | 2 |
| 8 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 2 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction accounts for 45% of all reported incidents involving earth and stone materials. The high frequency of excavation work, trenching, and site preparation in this industry creates constant exposure to unstable ground and heavy debris that can shift or collapse without warning.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you being struck by large clods of clay or rock dislodging from trench walls or spoil piles during excavation. Other incidents involve you tripping over loose material or being struck by debris during material handling. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | AR | Manufacturing | "On July 2, 2025, an employee was walking to a building through a shed used to store dirt and went to climb a 45-inch pile of loose clay material when they tripped and fell forward. The employee sustained a dislocated right ankle, torn ligaments, a fractured tibia, and sprains to the right ankle and leg. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WI | Professional Services | "An employee fell approximately 4 feet through a pile of loose dirt to the ground below, resulting in a fractured lower leg." | |
| 2025 | NY | Construction | "An employee was setting a water pump to dewater in a small trench when a piece of clay broke off and struck him in the side. The employee sustained a hip dislocation." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was performing excavation work to expose a 12-foot water pipe. A large clod of dirt estimated to be 3 to 4 feet in size dislodged from a spoil pile and fell, striking his right leg. The impact caused the employee to lose consciousness momentarily. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured tibia and fibula and required surgery." | |
| 2024 | OK | Manufacturing | "An employee was sandblasting metal and dropped the sandblasting gun, causing sand to strike their left triceps." | |
| 2024 | PA | Administrative Services | "An employee was assisting in the placement of a boulder in a flower bed using a tractor when the boulder shifted and struck him in the left ankle, fracturing it." | |
| 2024 | MA | Administrative Services | "After unloading a truckload of firewood, an employee was using spray paint to indicate on the logs the date they arrived at the tree service's yard. The employee stood on a 12-inch rock to paint a date and his feet slipped, causing him to fall on his back. The employee lost consciousness and fractured a lower vertebra. The employee was hospitalized. " | |
| 2024 | CO | Administrative Services | "Employees were using equipment to move large boulders when a boulder (weighing 0.5 ton) slipped and landed on the injured employee's foot, resulting in a fracture that requires surgery." | |
| 2024 | CO | Construction | "An employee was holding a 2x4 at the end of the utility pipe when a frozen dirt clod rolled down the slope of a 10-foot excavation and struck the employee's leg, fracturing it." | |
| 2023 | WI | Construction | "An employee was tying piano wire to measure and gauge the thickness of the wall pour/shoring needed. A rock weighing approximately 30 pounds was moved by a bulldozer. The rock struck the employee while they were inside the excavation. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to the head/skull." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.