Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 6 to 10 feet · Fractures
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Adams Outdoor Advertising, Inc., 2900 Aberg Avenue, MADISON, WISCONSIN 53704
on — Fractures, affecting the elbow(s).
Final narrative
An employee was wearing a harness and tied off to an advertising sign that he was disassembling with an oxy/fuel torch when two fighter jets flew overhead and caused the cut members to vibrate and collapse. The employee "rode" the collapsing structure down and hit his elbow on the steel, breaking a bone. The structure was approximately 17 feet in height and the employee fell approximately 6 feet.
On December 15, 2023, the injured employee was working from a ladder. A co-worker climbed the backside of the ladder and the ladder failed. The injured employee fell approximately 8 feet to the ground and sustained multiple fractures.
An employee was installing grout using a shovel when the precast hollow-core floor gave way, causing them to fall approximately 8-10 feet. The employee sustained a back fracture.
An employee was assisting with assembly of a two-level scaffold. The scaffold fell, causing the employee to fall 8 feet from the second level to the concrete surface below. The employee sustained fractures to the face, jaw, and both wrists.
An employee was repairing an egg collector when the platform collapsed and he fell 10 feet to the concrete floor. The employee sustained a fractured left leg.
An employee was descending a ladder when it collapsed, causing him to fall approximately 8 feet. The employee was hospitalized with a compound fracture to his left leg and a left wrist fracture.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 541850)
On September 16, 2025, an employee was installing a billboard advertising display when they fell 8 feet and 6 inches to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a puncture wound.
An employee was installing a piece of advertising copy on a billboard. He fell approximately 18-25 feet from the structure to the ground, suffering broken ribs and facial trauma.
An employee was installing a sign. They left the bucket to reach bolts, removed their harness, and reached for a piece of iron. The employee climbed to the back of the sign on the affixed metal lattice. The bolt came loose and the iron gave way, causing the employee to fall approximately 13 feet to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to their hips, arm, and shoulders. They also sustained torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was climbing a hook ladder. A piece of advertising material fell onto the employee, causing them to slip and fall from the fourth or fifth rung. The employee landed on their left arm, breaking the arm and also suffering a broken rib.
An employee set up and secured an extension ladder on a pole so he could tighten up a low-hanging triplex cable. While on the pole, the employee started to pull the triplex cable to raise it up. The tension caused the pole to snap. The employee jumped off the ladder to avoid getting hit by the pole. The employee impacted the ground and sustained bilateral talus fractures.
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 using a vertical band saw to cut a thick piece of rubber material. While being cut, the material shifted, causing the employee s right hand to contact the moving blade. The employee's thumb was amputated below the knuckle. The employee was hospitalized, undergoing surgery.
A production sanitation employee was pre-rinsing an incline conveyor and noticed cheese stuck between the belt idler. The employee went to remove the cheese and their glove got caught and pulled their left forearm into the conveyor. The employee's arm was fractured. The machine was not locked out/tagged out at the time.
An employee was on a ladder, taking measurements for a new gutter installation. The ladder slipped out from under him and both he and the ladder fell to the ground. He was hospitalized with seven broken ribs and a broken clavicle.
An employee was unloading a truck for a delivery job. While moving boxes in the truck, the employee tripped over a pallet and fell out of the truck to the ground, resulting in four broken ribs.