How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 22 severe incidents involving residential buildings. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 42% of all reported cases.
The severity of these incidents frequently stems from the unpredictable nature of residential environments, where structural integrity and fire safety are critical concerns.
Hurt in a residential building? Check your workers' comp benefits.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries in residential settings are primarily driven by falls to lower levels, which account for 50% of all reported incidents. You may suffer these injuries when navigating unfinished structures, climbing to reach roof areas, or working on elevated residential platforms. Other frequent causes include structural fires and being struck by falling objects, both of which present immediate hazards to you while working on-site.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 11 |
| 2 | Structural fire without collapse | 4 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 3 |
| 4 | Explosion— n.e.c. | 2 |
| 5 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
| 6 | Fire— unspecified | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all industries with 41% of reported residential building injuries, as you are frequently exposed to height and structural hazards during the building process. Manufacturing follows at 23%, often involving you in delivering materials or installing components within residential sites. These industries require strict adherence to safety protocols to prevent the common falls and structural accidents that define this injury category.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include you falling from heights while performing residential tasks, or suffering smoke inhalation or burns during emergency responses to house fires. Other incidents involve you being struck by objects or suffering lacerations from hazardous materials found on-site. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you understand your rights.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | TX | Construction | "An employee fell about 8 feet from a single-story home onto sand and sustained a fractured right elbow." | |
| 2023 | PA | Real Estate | "An employee was responding to an emergency call for a house on fire. The employee was rescuing caged birds from the fire, which resulted in a laceration to their left hand from a cage. The employee also suffered smoke inhalation." | |
| 2023 | PA | Education | "A police officer was responding to a fire in a dormitory room. After entering the room, the employee suffered smoke inhalation and was hospitalized." | |
| 2021 | NY | Retail Trade | "An employee was walking around the corner of a customer's house when he struck his head on a low-hanging gutter, resulting in a scalp laceration." | |
| 2021 | PA | Utilities | "On 7/26/2021 at 1:08 p.m., an employee entered a customer's residence to investigate a natural gas odor. The house exploded and the employee sustained burns to their hands, arms, chest, and face that required hospitalization." | |
| 2021 | AL | Manufacturing | "An employee was exiting the top of a manufactured home to a catwalk when they fell from the top of the home onto the rail of the catwalk. The employee suffered a broken right humerus and dislocated his right shoulder." | |
| 2021 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was placing a mobile home on a trailer when the mobile home slipped off the jack and struck the employee. The employee suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung." | |
| 2021 | WI | Construction | "An employee was unloading a manufactured home when it slipped off of its jack, pinning the employee under the home and resulting in a fractured back." | |
| 2020 | GA | Utilities | "An employee was measuring natural gas levels in the vicinity of suspected damage to a natural gas line. An adjacent apartment building exploded and caught fire, and the employee suffered burns to the side of his face and his left hand. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2020 | PA | Health Care | "An employee was taking care of a client in her home. The house caught fire. The employee suffered smoke inhalation while trying to get the client out of the house. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.