How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,377 severe cases involving metal materials over the last decade. These incidents frequently result in amputations, which account for 38% of all reported injuries in this category.
The severity of these injuries is underscored by the fact that 40% of all cases involve finger injuries. You may face life-altering consequences, including permanent loss of function and extensive surgical recovery.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving metal materials are primarily driven by struck-by events. In 53% of cases, you are struck by falling metal objects that were improperly secured or stored. Additionally, you are frequently compressed between running equipment and metal parts, a common failure in machine guarding and material handling protocols.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by falling object | 713 |
| 2 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 313 |
| 3 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 60 |
| 4 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 50 |
| 5 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 48 |
| 6 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 36 |
| 7 | Injured by object handled by person | 27 |
| 8 | Struck against stationary object | 24 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 46% of all recorded incidents, followed by construction at 35%. These industries rely on heavy metal components that require strict adherence to material handling safety standards. When your employer fails to provide adequate training or secure storage systems, these heavy materials become immediate hazards to you on the floor.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include metal parts becoming jammed in machinery, unexpected shifts of heavy castings, and falling debris during furnace maintenance. These reports show that you are often injured while manually repositioning heavy steel or clearing blockages in press equipment. 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 | NJ | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a 2 1/2 inch extruder press when aluminum became jammed in the press. Pressure built up and the piece of aluminum shot into the employee's left index finger, resulting in hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "At about 11:00 p.m. on March 12, 2025, an employee entered a reduction furnace tower to remove a thermowell tube that had broken and became lodged in the furnace. While he was shifting the thermowell, the metal hit the wall of the furnace, causing a "scab" of iron ore (3 feet x 1 foot x 8 inches) to fall from the furnace's interior surface. It struck the employee's head. The employee lost consciousness and was hospitalized." | |
| 2024 | MO | Manufacturing | "On October 9, 2024, an employee was repositioning the end of a metal casting that was not attached to the hoist. The employee's left ring finger was crushed between the part and the work table, resulting in the amputation of their left ring fingertip." | |
| 2024 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was manually moving steel across rollers when their right ring finger was caught between the steel and the rollers. The employee's fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2024 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was working as a hammer forge helper in a crew of seven employees. As the hammer forge cycled, a piece of metal shot out from it and broke the employee's lower right leg." | |
| 2024 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating an overhead crane to move a 31" x 27" x 10" piece of machined metal with a hole through the middle weighing approximately 1,350 pounds to prepare for the next welding operation. The material was 16-20" above the ground when the lift strap broke and the material fell onto the employee's lower legs. This caused him to fall backward and the material landed on his left foot. The employee sustained bruising and scraping injuries to the legs from the knees down to the ankle, as well as a foot injury. " | |
| 2024 | MA | Other Services | "A piece of steel fell onto an employee's foot and fractured it." | |
| 2024 | AR | Manufacturing | "An employee was cutting bands off steel billets when a 20-foot long billet rolled and landed on their right lower leg, resulting in a compound fracture. " | |
| 2023 | LA | Construction | "An employee was moving a piece of an I-beam for welding when it rolled off the cribbing. The employee went to catch it when it fell and crushed the employee's finger, resulting in a partial amputation." | |
| 2023 | NE | Manufacturing | "An employee was overseeing facility operations. They moved out of the way to accommodate facility workflow and stepped into a sorting bin area while rebar was being placed by a pneumatic kicker arm. The employee's legs and feet were struck by the rebar, resulting in injuries." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.