How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 79 severe cases involving extension ladders. Fractures account for 62% of these reports, often involving multiple bones and requiring extensive surgical intervention.
These injuries frequently impact the trunk and lower extremities, leading to significant time away from work. The severity of these falls often results in long-term physical limitations for you.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when an extension ladder slips out from under you or collapses during use. Other common scenarios involve the ladder shifting on uneven surfaces or failing to remain secured while you are climbing. These events often lead to uncontrolled falls to a lower level, frequently resulting in you striking the ladder or the ground with significant force.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 47 |
| 2 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 29 |
| 3 | Fall to lower level resulting from exposure or contact | 2 |
| 4 | Fall to lower level resulting in exposure or contact | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction accounts for 51% of all reported extension ladder injuries. The frequency of use in this industry, combined with setup on unfinished or unstable surfaces, creates a high risk for ladder slippage and structural failure.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include ladders slipping on slick surfaces, failure to secure the ladder base, and equipment instability during routine tasks. If these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your fall to determine if your employer failed to provide a safe work environment.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | IL | Agriculture | "An employee was on an extension ladder putting up a net on top of a greenhouse. The ladder slipped and the employee was struck by a metal pipe while falling 6-8 feet to the ground, striking their head. The employee hospitalized with a skull fracture/internal bleeding and a spine fracture." | |
| 2025 | CO | Finance & Insurance | "An employee was on an extension ladder at a site to inspect roof damage. The ladder slipped out from under him and the employee fell to the ground and landed on the ladder. The employee was hospitalized for fractured shoulders. " | |
| 2025 | CO | Construction | "A subcontractor employee was on an aluminum extension ladder painting in the auditorium on a new carpet with a layer of protective film. The ladder slipped out and he fell approximately 10 feet. The employee struck his chin and chest on the ladder during the fall and sustained a laceration to the chin that required stitches, a bruise on the chest, and a swollen elbow. The employee was hospitalized for elbow surgery." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On June 23, 2025, an employee was climbing down an extension ladder when they slipped and fell approximately 12 feet down the ladder. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their scapula, clavicle, ribs, and a facial bone and a laceration to the back of their head and ear. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was on an extension ladder when it slipped, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a compound fracture to the wrist." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Administrative Services | "An employee was descending an extension ladder after cleaning the gutters on a residential building. The rung locks on the ladder unlatched, caused the extension to slide down, and the employee fell approximately 4-5 feet off the ladder and onto the driveway below. His head and neck then struck garden pavers that were 4 inches high, resulting in a fractured C6 vertebra." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was on an extension ladder, pumping concrete inside a block wall. A stone plugged the concrete hose, causing a pressure increase. As the stone was released, the hose whipped against the employee, who fell from the ladder to the ground 6 feet below. He suffered a leg injury and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WV | Construction | "An employee was on a cable ladder attached to a utility pole. The pole gave way, causing the employee to fall from the ladder into a creek next to the pole. The employee suffered a broken right leg." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was climbing an extension ladder to access a condensate pump that was leaking when the ladder slid on the concrete floor. The employee fell with the ladder to the floor, resulting in a fractured hip." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "An employee was on an extension ladder cleaning an outdoor dryer duct when he fell to the concrete ground. The employee sustained two brain bleeds, punctured lungs, fractures to their hip, tibia, face, vertebrae, left wrist, shoulder, and upper arm, as well as an open fracture to the arm." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.