How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 212 severe cases involving trusses, girders, and beams over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury type, accounting for 50% of all incidents, often resulting from high-impact falls or crushing forces.
These injuries frequently involve traumatic brain injuries, reflecting the extreme height and force involved in structural work. The severity of these incidents often leads to long-term disability and significant medical intervention.
How these injuries happen
Most injuries occur when you fall to a lower level, which accounts for 60% of all incidents. These accidents often happen when structural supports collapse, cross-braces fail, or you lose your balance while navigating narrow beams. In other cases, you are struck by falling structural components or compressed between equipment and the beams themselves.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 124 |
| 2 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 31 |
| 3 | Struck against stationary object | 21 |
| 4 | Struck by falling object | 14 |
| 5 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 7 |
| 6 | Fall to lower level— caught self or curtailed | 1 |
| 7 | Struck by running powered equipment— n.e.c. | 1 |
| 8 | Fall on same level | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction accounts for 73% of these injuries, as the nature of the work requires constant interaction with elevated structural frameworks. Manufacturing follows at 16%, where you are frequently exposed to similar hazards during the assembly and handling of heavy structural materials.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include falls from heights during assembly, structural failures while tied off, and slips while navigating cross-braces or roof trusses. These incidents often involve inadequate fall protection or structural instability that should have been identified before work began. 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 | NY | Information | "An employee was dismantling a film set. He was standing on top of a wooden beam when he lost his balance and fell approximately 10 feet to the ground below, striking his head on a standing light. He sustained injuries to his head, torso, and shoulders. A guardrail was in place at the time of the injury." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On July 25, 2025, an employee was walking on roof trusses when they fell 10 feet to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion and a back injury." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee had crawled through a cross-brace section to reach the ground level below a raised floor. While he was standing on the cross-brace, he slipped and fell less than 36 inches to the concrete ground below the raised floor. He suffered fractures to his right tibia and fibula." | |
| 2025 | CO | Construction | "A subcontractor's employee was setting trusses on a residential new build while tied off with a harness and yo-yo. He slipped and fell. Then, the truss that he was tied to broke, allowing him to fall approximately 16 feet through the stair hole to the concrete floor in the basement. The employee sustained head and facial fractures. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "An employee was setting trusses for a covered porch. The employee had one foot on an 8-foot step ladder and the other foot on the bottom of a truss to unhook a chain. The truss came loose, causing the employee to fall 8 feet. They hit a T-brace on the way down to the concrete patio. The employee sustained a fractures to their right wrist/hand." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On June 13, 2025, an employee was installing perimeter angle on top of a steel beam. He welded a short piece in place and started installing the next longer piece. He butted the two pieces together, put a weld at the joint and started to move down the angle. As he was moving down the angle, he lost his footing, grabbed the angle, and it broke loose. He then fell backward off the beam and landed on a concrete slab 14 feet below. The employee sustained fractures to his upper right arm and a dislocated right elbow." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was working to hang/support a pipe running vertically through a ceiling for a plumbing vent. A section of plywood had been laid perpendicularly across several ceiling joists to provide access to the work area. The employee was positioning himself to work a channel strut into place to support the pipe when he fell 9 feet from the ceiling trusses to the concrete floor. He sustained fractures to lumbar vertebrae and was hospitalized. Fall protection was not in place at the time." | |
| 2025 | ME | Manufacturing | "An employee was greasing equipment along an industrial planer and related conveyor equipment. The employee stepped onto a metal crossmember to access higher fittings. The employee lost their balance and fell 30 inches to the concrete floor hitting the back of their head. The employee suffered a concussion, a fractured skull, and memory loss." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was replacing a filtration unit hosing. While connecting tubes to the filtration unit, the employee's foot slipped off a support beam that was approximately 6 inches above the floor. The employee fell to the floor and sustained a compound fracture of her lower left arm requiring hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | NY | Construction | "An employee was installing HVAC equipment in a customer's attic when he knelt down on a support beam that had a screw sticking up out of it. The employee sustained a puncture to the knee that began swelling and he was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Fractures are the most frequent injury, occurring in 50% of reported cases. You may also suffer from traumatic brain injuries due to the height and force involved in these falls. An attorney can help you document these injuries to ensure your medical needs are fully addressed.
Employers are required to ensure that all structural components are stable and that you have proper fall protection. If a collapse occurred due to poor maintenance or lack of safety equipment, your employer may be liable for your injuries. An attorney can help you investigate whether safety regulations were violated in your case.
Workers' Compensation is designed to cover your medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and a portion of your lost wages while you recover. Because structural injuries are often severe, it is important to ensure your claim accurately reflects the full extent of your long-term needs. An attorney can help you verify that your benefits are calculated correctly.
While you are entitled to Workers' Compensation, these claims can be complex, especially when they involve serious injuries from structural failures. An attorney can help you gather evidence, navigate the reporting process, and ensure your rights are protected against insurance company denials. An attorney can help you pursue the full benefits you are owed.