Fall through surface or existing opening 16 to 20 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Addison Drywall, Inc., 476 South Ocean Blvd., PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 33480
on — Fractures, affecting the upper and lower limb(s).
Final narrative
An employee engaged in framing and drywall operations fell through an elevator shaft resulting in broken legs, a broken arm and multiple lacerations. The height of the fall was approximately 20 feet.
HospitalizedUpper and lower limb(s)Elevator shafts
On November 16, 2023, at around 3:30 p.m., a subcontracted employee was painting a door jam on a three-story house when he fell 20 feet through an opened elevator shaft to the floor below. The employee sustained fractured vertebrae that required hospitalization.
Employees were removing and replacing skylights on a metal roof. The injured employee's lanyard became tangled and they fell through the skylight to the ground 16-18 feet below. The employee suffered fractures to the wrist, ribs, and hip.
An employee was requested by a client to string wire on top of an auditorium. He used a boom lift to access a beam and then exited the boom lift to walk on the beam. He then stepped down on a drop ceiling, lost balance, and fell. The drop ceiling caved in and the employee fell 20 feet onto bleachers sustaining injury to his abdominal area and lower left leg. The employee was wearing a harness, but it was not connected to an anchoring point at the time of the fall.
An employee was installing decking (steel grates) in a new construction steel framed building. The employees were working approximately 22' above the next lower level, which was a concrete ground floor. The decking was pre-cut with the floor opening prior to installation. Shortly after installing the floor opening, the employee fell through the floor opening, approximately 18' onto a section of metal ductwork, resulting in fractures to the skull, ribs, thorax, and lumbar vertebra, as well as an ear laceration.
An employee was taking measurements of an area for drywall when they stepped backward into a partially covered hole in the floor. The employee fell approximately 17 feet to the level below, sustaining a forehead fracture and avulsion, a right shoulder dislocation, a left forearm fracture, left knee tendon and meniscus tears, as well as multiple contusions and abrasions.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 238130)
The injured employee was assisting five other employees with bracing a wall panel that was being stood up. Another employee slipped on frost on the floor surface. The employees went to evacuate the area in anticipation of the wall panel falling over. The injured employee went to jump through a window opening within the wall panel and their lower half was crushed by the falling wall panel. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis.
An employee was on a 6-foot ladder, working to nail a 2-by-4 on a hotel carport ceiling. He lost his balance and his muddy boots slipped. He then fell and his foot lodged in the ladder. His foot was broken in two places and he was hospitalized.
An employee was installing a ceiling joist for a residential home when they fell from a framing structure and landed on the ground 8 feet below. The employee's right arm was fractured.
On September 16, 2025, a employee was moving a dolly with seven drywall sheets. The wheel of the dolly got stuck. The material tipped over and fell onto the employee's left foot, fracturing their tibia.
An employee was installing 80-foot-long trusses onto a 150-foot by 80-foot post-frame building. The employee worked from the north lift and then on the trusses about 20 feet up to install bracing. While installing diagonal bracing on the top chord, the trusses collapsed, causing the employee to fall approximately 20 feet to the concrete and be struck by the falling trusses. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured pelvis and a concussion.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.