Statistics

Over a one-year period, OSHA investigated ten preventable fatalities and more than 20 preventable injuries resulting from a variety of incidents involving scissor lifts. OSHA’s investigations found that most injuries and fatalities involving scissor lifts were the result of employers not addressing: • Fall Protection • Stabilization • Positioning (Source: OSHA.gov)
Fast Facts. Falls are the leading cause of death for construction workers, killing more than 200 U.S. workers each year. 1. Between 2011-2014, 1,380 workers were injured as a result of operating an aerial lift or scissor lift. (Source: CDC.gov)
Based on 2014 published data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 261,930 private industry and state and local government workers missed one or more days of work due to injuries from falls on the same level or to lower levels¹, and 798 workers died from such falls².
Fall injuries create a considerable financial burden: workers’ compensation and medical costs associated with occupational fall incidents have been estimated at $70 billion annually in the United Sates [³]. Many other countries face similar challenges in the workplace. In fact, the international public health community has a strong interest in developing strategies to reduce the toll of fall injuries.