How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 346 severe cases involving garbage, recyclables, and debris over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 28% of all reported incidents.
These injuries are frequently severe because they often involve heavy materials striking you. Finger injuries are the most common, appearing in 21% of all cases, often resulting in long-term impairment.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving garbage and debris typically occur when you handle, process, or move materials. The most frequent cause is being struck by falling objects, which accounts for 34% of cases. You are also frequently injured when debris is propelled by machinery or when you are compressed between equipment and waste materials.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by falling object | 114 |
| 2 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 99 |
| 3 | Contact with hot objects or substances | 35 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 18 |
| 5 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 17 |
| 6 | Injured by object handled by person | 11 |
| 7 | Fire— small-scale, limited | 6 |
| 8 | Struck against stationary object | 5 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 31% of these injuries, followed closely by construction at 30%. These industries involve high-volume material handling where debris is a constant byproduct, often leading to accidents when proper guarding or clearance procedures are neglected.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include you being struck by materials ejected from shears, falling scrap during demolition, or debris flying during excavation backfilling. These reports frequently highlight failures in machine guarding or inadequate safety zones during material processing. 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 | GA | Manufacturing | "On July 22, 2025, an employee was cutting/torching a large piece of metal when a piece of the material broke loose, struck him mid-stomach, and knocked him to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with an umbilical hernia and fractures to his right femur and left fibula." | |
| 2025 | PA | Wholesale Trade | "Two employees were using a stationary shear to cut scrap metal material into pieces. The injured employee was working as the "picker," standing at the shaker table to remove any garbage or wood from the cut material. Employee 2 was loading material onto the shear for processing. A piece of metal was ejected from the shear and struck the injured employee. He was hospitalized with a laceration to his abdomen. The shear was not guarded at the time." | |
| 2025 | KS | Manufacturing | "Two employees were replacing a motor on an overhead conveyor. The old motor fell to the floor, causing a piece of the concrete floor to fly up and strike the injured employee in the face, around the eye. The injured employee sustained a right orbital fracture, a zygomatic arch fracture, and a sphenoid fracture. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "Two employees were in a combustion chamber cutting braces to remove a 200-pound, X-shaped brace/stiffener. They cut the braces/stiffeners on three of the four corners and then slightly cut the bottom brace to be able to push the brace over and snap the bottom weld. While the brace was being pushed over, it twisted and struck the injured employee in the shin. The employee sustained fractures to their tibia and fibula." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "The injured employee was assisting with backfilling an excavation. The employee was kneeling on the pipe with both knees and was holding a piece of plywood while their right hand sat on the second pipe next to the hole. While the excavator was backfilling the trench he was shaking the bucket to allow the dirt to come out. A piece of concrete fell out of the bucket and struck the back of the employee's right hand, causing a displaced fracture to the metacarpal bone of the index finger, a fracture to the metacarpal bone of the middle finger, and a laceration." | |
| 2025 | SD | Wholesale Trade | "Three employees were unloading fertilizer from rail cars. One of them was dislodging a hard chunk of material (potash) hanging down from under a car. When the piece broke free, it forced the employee's right hand against a grate, pinching the index finger. The employee was hospitalized and underwent a medical amputation to the fingertip." | |
| 2025 | LA | Agriculture | "A temporary employee was finishing up work for the day when the employee had an asthma attack due to grain dust in the dock area and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WV | Manufacturing | "An employee was straightening a pack of lumber due to a piece of wood sticking out. Using a scrap piece of wood, he struck the piece of lumber and his left index fingertip was caught between the boards and partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | ID | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was exposed to grain dust (corn and wheat) while cleaning a soak bin without a dust mask. The employee was hospitalized for dust accumulation in their lungs. " | |
| 2025 | NY | Construction | "An employee was soldering copper pipe extension to the cold-water main valve connection using a torch with a 13.5-pound propane tank. Lint from the nearby laundry chute caught on fire and smoke engulfed the bathroom area. The employee was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.