How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 431 severe incidents involving patient or student violence over the last decade. These events frequently result in traumatic injuries or exposures and fractures, which often require extensive medical intervention and time away from work.
The severity of these incidents is reflected in the high frequency of brain injuries and back trauma. You often face sudden, unpredictable physical confrontations that lead to long-term musculoskeletal damage and neurological concerns.
Attacked at work? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries in these settings are primarily driven by physical confrontations where you are hit, kicked, or beaten by the individuals you are tasked with caring for or teaching. Many incidents occur during routine care, such as repositioning or redirecting a patient, where an unexpected outburst leads to a violent physical strike or a fall to the floor.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitting, kicking, beating by other person | 206 |
| 2 | Violent acts by other person— unspecified | 93 |
| 3 | Overexertion while materials moving by hand | 59 |
| 4 | Overexertion while moving or manipulating external object(s)— unspecified | 29 |
| 5 | Overexertion while providing medical or custodial care | 18 |
| 6 | Contact with other person while providing medical or custodial care | 9 |
| 7 | Multiple types of overexertion while moving or manipulating external object(s) | 5 |
| 8 | Shooting by other person | 3 |
Where injuries happen most
Health care accounts for 94% of these severe incidents, as the nature of patient care requires close, ongoing physical proximity. Education settings also see significant risks, where the unpredictability of student behavior frequently leads to physical altercations that result in reportable injuries.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you being struck, punched, or thrown to the ground while attempting to provide routine care or redirecting an individual. These incidents often occur without warning, leaving you vulnerable to head trauma and spinal injuries. 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 legal options.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MO | Health Care | "An employee was on the phone with his supervisor when a patient walked up and punched him. The employee was knocked to the floor and the patient kicked him multiple times causing injuries to his head, left cheek, left eye, mouth, and right hand. The employee sustained a traumatic brain injury/concussion and a left periorbital edema." | |
| 2025 | TX | Health Care | "An employee assisted with repositioning a patient in bed using a drawsheet. After repositioning the patient, the employee felt lower back pain and had weakness in her legs. The employee sustained a herniated disc." | |
| 2025 | GA | Health Care | "An employee was providing care to patients when another patient attempted to enter the room and attacked the employee. She was kicked, punched, and thrown to the ground. The employee sustained a concussion and was knocked unconscious. The employee was hospitalized for injuries that included a broken collar bone, broken ribs, and a punctured lung." | |
| 2025 | TX | Health Care | "An employee was working to redirect a patient back to their bed when the patient punched the right side of the employee's head/eye area with a closed fist. The employee sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Health Care | "An employee was struck by a patient in the chest and fell to the floor, with the patient falling onto them. The employee suffered a head injury." | |
| 2025 | GA | Health Care | "An employee was providing a therapeutic escort for an agitated patient. The patient began fighting and bit off the employee's fingertip, resulting in a fingertip amputation." | |
| 2025 | OH | Health Care | "The injured employee was performing a one-on-one watch of a patient who had been brought to the emergency room. The patient became agitated while in the patient room. Security personnel provided assistance to de-escalate the patient s behavior. The patient lunged for a security guard s handgun and a struggle ensued between the patient and two security guards. The patient was able to place his hand on the weapon and it fired while still inside its holster. The injured employee was struck in the abdomen by a bullet while standing at the door opening. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WV | Health Care | "An employee was getting up off a couch as a client was aggressive. The client kicked the employee, causing him to fall over the arm of the couch and land on the floor. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left hip." | |
| 2025 | ME | Administrative Services | "A temporary employee was walking a patient down the stairs when the patient pushed her and she fell down two steps to the floor. The employee was hospitalized with an endplate fracture of her L2 vertebra." | |
| 2025 | CO | Health Care | "An employee was sitting while observing a patient. The patient became agitated and struck the employee about the abdomen and chest causing internal bleeding. The employee was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.