June 30, 2026
Roadway incidents and falls from heights
As a service to our policyholders, Texas Mutual shares serious workplace injury trends based on catastrophic injuries and fatalities reported to our claims department. Not all of these reported injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but our goal is to help you ensure these types of incidents do not happen in your workplace. Find safety tips below to help keep your employees safe on the job.
If you have questions, we encourage you to contact us at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723) or safety@texasmutual.com.
In this alert:
- Roadway incidents
- Falls from heights
Roadway incidents take lives
While returning to work on the freeway, an employee swerved to avoid stopped traffic and collided with the rear of an 18-wheeler, sustaining fatal injuries. In a separate incident, an employee driving between job sites swerved to avoid a road hazard, lost control of the vehicle, and rolled into a ditch. They also sustained fatal injuries.
Roadway incidents are one of the leading causes of work-related fatalities in the U.S., yet driving is often viewed as routine. Employees who drive on the job face constant risks that can turn fatal in an instant. Unpredictable traffic conditions, road hazards and split-second decisions can have devastating consequences.
Safety tips:
- Perform a pre-trip vehicle inspection before every drive to ensure your vehicle is in safe operating condition.
- Plan your route ahead of time and be aware of known hazards or high-traffic areas.
- Maintain a safe following distance to allow adequate time to react to sudden traffic changes.
- Scan the road ahead continuously to identify potential hazards early.
- Avoid sudden or sharp steering corrections, as controlled responses are safer than abrupt swerves.
Falls from heights
An employee working on a rig was struck by equipment and fell approximately 12 feet to the ground, sustaining serious injuries. In a separate incident, an employee fell from a ladder on the second floor of a job site and suffered serious spinal injuries.
Falls from heights are preventable, yet they continue to cause some of the most severe injuries in the workplace. These incidents serve as a sobering reminder that even experienced employees are vulnerable when proper safety precautions are not in place. A single moment can result in life-altering consequences for the employee, their family and their co-workers.
Safety tips:
- Inspect all equipment, tools and rigging for defects or hazards before beginning work.
- Survey your work area for potential fall hazards before starting any task.
- Secure the base and top of a ladder before use to prevent shifting or sliding.
- Always maintain three points of contact when climbing or descending a ladder.
- Wear appropriate fall protection equipment when working at heights.
Get free safety resources
Texas Mutual policyholders have access to thousands of free training materials in our multimedia safety resource center, including our safety catalog with up-to-date resources.
To access the free materials, log in to your texasmutual.com account and select Safety. If you need help accessing safety resources or you have a safety question, call us toll-free at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723).
Download a PDF (1.12 MB) version of the June Safety Alert.