How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,442 severe injury cases involving scaffolds and staging over the past decade. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 61 percent of all reported incidents. These injuries often require extensive medical intervention and long-term recovery.
The severity of these incidents is driven by the height and force involved in a fall. You may sustain trauma to the brain, chest, or pelvic region when a scaffold fails or you lose your balance. These injuries often lead to permanent impairment and substantial financial strain.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
The vast majority of scaffold injuries occur when you fall to a lower level, which accounts for 77 percent of all reported incidents. These accidents often stem from structural instability, such as a plank slipping from its supports or a guardrail giving way during transition. In other cases, the entire structure may collapse, leaving you with little chance to avoid a high-impact fall to the ground below.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 1,101 |
| 2 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 188 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 42 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 27 |
| 5 | Fall on same level | 21 |
| 6 | Fall to lower level— unspecified | 10 |
| 7 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 7 |
| 8 | Collapse, engulfment— building or structure | 7 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 60 percent of scaffold-related injuries. This high volume is tied to the constant assembly, modification, and use of temporary staging at varying heights. Manufacturing follows as the second most common industry, where you often rely on elevated platforms for routine maintenance and equipment repairs.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include guardrails that fail under pressure, planks that shift unexpectedly, and losing your balance while transitioning between levels. These reports highlight how quickly a routine task can turn into a life-altering event due to equipment instability or lack of proper fall protection. 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 | SD | Construction | "An employee was transitioning from a catwalk to an extension ladder. They grabbed an in-process guardrail which gave way causing them to fall approximately 15 feet to the concrete ground. The employee sustained fractures to the skull and spine." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "In the flight line area, an employee was on a work stand platform conducting repairs to an aircraft. While transitioning to another location, he stepped over another employee and lost his balance. The employee reached for the railing to catch themselves, fell, and tore his right bicep. The employee was hospitalized for surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was on a scaffold installing masonry veneer when a plank on the scaffolding fell from its supports, causing the employee to fall approximately 13 feet to the ground below. The employee sustained fractured ribs and a punctured lung." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "An employee was attaching rigging to a mandrel sleeve during routine mandrel sleeve replacement. The employee fell 15 feet from a work platform to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their eye socket, spine, and a rib." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "A painter was painting while standing on the first step of a scaffold. He lost balance and fell 1 to 1.5 feet while striking the scaffold. The employee sustained a laceration and puncture to the abdomen and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | NE | Other Services | "An electrician was on a 9-foot scaffold performing valve maintenance on an 8-inch line near a heat exchanger. The electrician was working to cycle a valve that failed to close. Due to a misaligned drain line and an open manual valve, hot liquid dextrose (~250 F) was released onto the floor below, creating a steam cloud. The electrician was evacuating the scaffold using the scaffold ladder when they slipped and fell 5-6 feet into the hot liquid, sustaining first- and second-degree burns to multiple parts of their body including both arms, both hands, their back, and their buttocks." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was working from a baker scaffold while installing ceilings at a construction site. One of the scaffold wheels rolled into a hole in the floor and the scaffold tipped, causing the employee to fall approximately 4 feet to the concrete below. The employee's head struck the concrete, resulting in a head injury." | |
| 2025 | CA | Construction | "On July 10, 2025, an employee was walking along a catwalk on the fuel tanks when it gave way, causing him to fall to the ground. The employee's leg was broken." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was preparing to conduct a 6-foot welding operation to repair a ladle plate. When he stepped forward on a scaffolding platform to conduct the weld, his right foot slipped and his right ankle was wrenched and broken. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | CO | Administrative Services | "An employee was cutting wood and installing wood backing in an elevator shaft. He retrieved a rolling baker scaffold from the drywall crew and positioned it near the work area. He placed the wood on the scaffold and climbed up. While nailing a piece into place, he lost his balance and slipped. To steady himself, he grabbed the newly installed wood, but the wood detached and he fell into the elevator shaft. He sustained fractures to his ribs and pelvis and a laceration to the head." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.