How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,491 severe cases involving stairs and multi-level surfaces over the last decade. These incidents most frequently result in fractures, which account for 59% of all reported injuries in this category.
The severity of these falls often leads to long-term damage, particularly to the ankles. You may face extensive recovery periods and significant medical expenses due to the impact of these falls.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
The vast majority of these injuries occur when you fall to a lower level, accounting for 85% of all reported incidents. These accidents often happen when you lose your balance on a staircase, trip over an uneven surface, or slip on a transition between levels. Whether caused by poor lighting, missing handrails, or slippery debris, these falls are frequently the result of unsafe conditions that your employer is required to mitigate.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 1,208 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 143 |
| 3 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 29 |
| 4 | Struck by falling object | 6 |
| 5 | Fall to lower level— caught self or curtailed | 4 |
| 6 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 4 |
| 7 | Fall to lower level— unspecified | 4 |
| 8 | Fall to lower level resulting in exposure or contact | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing leads all sectors with 20% of these incidents, as you frequently navigate industrial staircases and elevated platforms. Health care and transportation follow, where the constant movement between different floor levels and the pressure to move quickly often increase your risk of a fall on stairs or curbs.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you slipping on wet surfaces, missing steps while carrying items, or losing balance on poorly maintained stairwells. These incidents frequently result in serious orthopedic injuries that require surgery and prolonged time away from work. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine your options.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NJ | Wholesale Trade | "An employee had clocked out and was waiting for a ride when he stepped off a curb and fell forward onto the ground. The employee sustained a fractured jaw, requiring hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking up a set of three steps that lead out of a pit. Water that had leaked from a valve was on his boots and he slipped and fell backward to the floor. The employee sustained an injury to his L5 vertebra and a ruptured hamstring that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Retail Trade | "At approximately 21:00 CDT, on July 22, 2025, an employee was doing priority pulls in the backroom (storeroom). She ascended a track ladder attached to an aisle to retrieve an item of clothing. On her way down, she missed a step or two and fell to the concrete floor. The employee sustained a fractured left ankle." | |
| 2025 | OH | Retail Trade | "On July 22, 2025, at approximately 6:25 PM, an employee was was walking up the stairs to their work station. When the employee was about halfway up the stairs, they dropped their earplugs. The employee turned to pick up the earplugs, lost their balance, and fell approximately 10 feet to the ground below. The employee was hospitalized with head injuries and a laceration." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "On July 20, 2025, an employee was descending a fixed ladder when he fell approximately 7 feet to the floor below, landing on his left leg. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left tibia and tears to the posterior cruciate and anterior cruciate ligaments in the left knee." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking down a flight of metal stairs inside a building when he fell down the stairs, resulting in injuries to his back, wrist, and ankle that required hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | FL | Real Estate | "On July 18, 2025, at approximately 12:55 p.m., an employee was walking out the door toward the wash bay when he missed the step down onto the lot and fell, landing on his right side. Both of his knees knees were scraped, and he sustained a laceration to his right arm that damaged blood vessels and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | NY | Information | "An employee was walking down a flight of stairs when they fell down the stairs and suffered a fractured hip." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was climbing an attic ladder in a customer's home to access an air conditioning unit. As he reached the top of the ladder, the ladder detached from the attic access opening, causing him to fall from the ground. He sustained broken ribs and a spinal fracture." | |
| 2025 | NC | Health Care | "An employee was descending the back stairwell to go to lunch when he missed a step. As he fell forward, his toes hit a step which pulled his right leg behind him. He landed on the concrete stairwell landing between floors. He sustained a partial rupture of the right quadriceps tendon and an avulsion fracture involving the right patella. The employee required surgery." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.