A worker does not have to be operating heavy equipment to be at risk from it.
Walking through a terminal yard, working near a loading area, standing beside a truck, unloading materials, or performing maintenance can all put employees in the path of moving vehicles, falling objects, or equipment.
These incidents are known as struck-by hazards, and they are a significant workplace safety concern across industries.
According to OSHA's resources on struck-by hazards, struck-by incidents are one of the four major hazards in construction, alongside falls, caught-in or caught-between hazards, and electrocution. OSHA's resources identify vehicles, falling and flying objects, and collapsing masonry as major categories of struck-by hazards.
The risk also extends well beyond construction. Transportation, warehousing, manufacturing, utilities, tank terminals, loading facilities, and other industrial workplaces can all expose employees to moving vehicles, suspended loads, equipment, and materials.
Understanding where struck-by hazards occur is an important first step toward preventing them.
A struck-by hazard exists when a worker can be hit by an object, vehicle, piece of equipment, or material that is moving, falling, flying, swinging, or rolling.
The incident may happen because an object unexpectedly moves, a vehicle operator cannot see a worker, materials are improperly secured, equipment fails, or workers enter an area where they should not be.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 357 fatal workplace injuries in 2024 involving a worker being struck by a propelled, falling, or suspended object. Another 213 involved workers being struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment.
Struck-by incidents can range from relatively minor injuries to crushing injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, and fatalities.
That is why recognizing the hazard before work begins is so important.
Struck-by hazards can look very different depending on the workplace. However, most fall into a few common categories.
Vehicles are one of the most recognizable struck-by hazards.
Employees may be exposed to:
The danger increases when pedestrians and vehicles share the same space.
A driver may not see a worker walking behind a trailer. A forklift operator may have a limited line of sight while carrying a load. A truck making a turn may swing into an area that appears clear from the pedestrian's position.
Large commercial vehicles can create particularly significant blind spots. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recommends that pedestrians remain aware of truck and bus blind spots, or "no-zones," and warns pedestrians never to walk behind a truck while it is backing.
This is why traffic patterns, designated pedestrian areas, communication, and visibility are so important in busy yards and facilities.
Not every struck-by hazard involves something moving horizontally.
Objects can fall from:
A material does not have to be extremely heavy to cause a serious injury when it falls from an elevated position.
OSHA recommends storing materials so they are stable and secured against sliding, falling, or collapsing. In warehouses, OSHA also recommends inspecting and maintaining shelving and racking and immediately isolating damaged areas.
Workers should also be aware of what is happening above them. A task being performed several feet away or on a higher level can create a hazard for employees working below.
Some objects do not need to fall from above to become a struck-by hazard.
Tools, materials, and pieces of equipment can become airborne when they are cut, ground, drilled, pushed, pulled, struck, pressurized, broken, or ejected from equipment.
OSHA identifies flying objects as a type of struck-by hazard and notes that injuries can range from abrasions and eye injuries to concussions, blindness, and death.
The appropriate controls depend on the task. Depending on the hazard, this may include machine guarding, barriers, safe operating procedures, inspection of equipment, and appropriate personal protective equipment.
Workers who operate around cranes, hoists, or other lifting equipment may be exposed to suspended loads.
A load can shift, swing, drop, or become unstable. Even when the lifting equipment is operating correctly, the load itself can create a large exclusion zone.
Workers should never assume that a suspended load is safe to stand beneath or walk near.
Before lifting begins, employees should understand:
Planning the movement before the lift begins can help eliminate unnecessary exposure.
One of the most common situations involving struck-by hazards occurs when pedestrians and vehicles operate in the same area.
The problem is not always poor driving or carelessness. Visibility can be limited by vehicle size, trailer length, loads, mirrors, blind spots, buildings, weather, darkness, dust, glare, or other equipment.
A worker may also assume that a driver has seen them when the driver has not.
This is particularly important during backing operations. OSHA's struck-by resources identify vehicle back-over incidents as a significant hazard, while FMCSA emphasizes the limited visibility around large trucks and buses.
Facilities can reduce this risk by separating pedestrian and vehicle traffic whenever practical, establishing designated walkways, improving lighting, using appropriate signs and markings, and controlling access to active vehicle areas.
Workers should also avoid relying solely on a vehicle's backup alarm or camera system. These systems can help, but they should not replace proper procedures and awareness.
Loading and unloading operations bring together many of the conditions that contribute to struck-by incidents.
A typical loading area may include trucks and trailers, forklifts, dock equipment, hoses, pallets, containers, suspended loads, pedestrians, drivers, and changing traffic patterns.
The situation can change quickly.
A vehicle that was stationary a few seconds earlier may begin moving. A forklift may enter an area unexpectedly. A load may shift when a trailer door opens. A worker may step into an active loading zone without realizing that equipment is approaching.
Before loading or unloading begins, workers should know where they are expected to stand, which areas are restricted, how communication will occur, and what conditions require the operation to stop.
OSHA's material-handling resources emphasize pre-planning, appropriate equipment, equipment inspections, and safe handling procedures when materials are transported, loaded, unloaded, or stored.
Preventing struck-by injuries starts with identifying where workers could be exposed.
OSHA recommends a proactive approach to hazard identification that includes workplace inspections, investigating incidents and near misses, looking for recurring hazards, and considering nonroutine and emergency situations.
A workplace assessment should ask:
These questions can reveal hazards that may otherwise become part of the normal routine.
The most effective way to prevent a struck-by incident is often to keep people away from the hazard in the first place.
Where practical, workplaces can use physical barriers, designated pedestrian walkways, vehicle-only areas, restricted access zones, traffic controls, clearly marked crossing points, and exclusion zones around lifting operations.
OSHA's construction resources specifically emphasize keeping workers out of areas where they could be struck by vehicles, falling objects, or other hazards.
Visibility can make a significant difference, particularly in yards, warehouses, and other areas with moving equipment.
Employers should consider whether lighting is adequate, pedestrian walkways are visible, high-visibility apparel is appropriate, mirrors or cameras are needed, vehicle warning lights are functioning, and windshields and mirrors are clean.
Workers should also avoid assuming that being visible means they have been seen.
Materials should be stacked, stored, loaded, and transported in a way that prevents unexpected movement.
Storage systems should be inspected regularly, and damaged racks or other structures should be removed from service or isolated until they can be properly addressed. OSHA's warehouse safety recommendations specifically address stable stacking, rack capacity, damaged shelving, and preventing materials from sliding or collapsing.
Communication becomes especially important when workers and equipment are operating in the same area.
Depending on the operation, this may include hand signals, radios, designated spotters, visual signals, established traffic procedures, and standard communication protocols.
Everyone involved should understand who is directing the operation and what signal means "stop."
Employees also play an important role in preventing struck-by incidents.
Before entering an area where vehicles, equipment, or materials are moving, stop and assess the situation.
Ask yourself:
Can the operator see me?
Could this equipment move unexpectedly?
Could something fall, roll, swing, or shift into this area?
Am I standing between a vehicle and a fixed object?
Am I inside an exclusion zone?
Do I have a clear way to get out of the area?
If the answer to any of these questions raises concern, move to a safer location or stop the task until the hazard can be addressed.
OSHA's struck-by guidance specifically warns workers against positioning themselves between moving and fixed objects.
A few extra seconds spent assessing the area can prevent an employee from being in the wrong place when something moves.
A struck-by incident does not have to result in an injury to reveal a serious hazard.
Consider a forklift that passes within inches of a pedestrian, a load that shifts unexpectedly but does not fall, or a worker who steps behind a trailer just before it begins backing.
These events should not be dismissed because nobody was hurt.
Near misses can reveal weaknesses in traffic patterns, communication, procedures, equipment, or employee awareness. OSHA recommends investigating close calls and near misses as part of an ongoing hazard identification process.
The goal is not just to determine what happened. It is to understand why the situation was possible in the first place and what can be changed before a more serious incident occurs.
Struck-by hazards are not limited to construction sites or large industrial operations. They can exist anywhere people work around vehicles, equipment, materials, tools, or moving objects.
A worker walking through a yard may be exposed to a backing truck. Someone working below an elevated task may be exposed to falling materials. An employee entering a loading area may step into the path of moving equipment.
The common factor is exposure.
The safest workplaces continually look for situations where a person could be in the path of something that can move, fall, swing, roll, or become airborne.
That means identifying hazards before work begins, separating people from moving equipment when possible, securing materials, improving visibility, communicating clearly, and taking near misses seriously.
OSHA's general industry resources emphasize the importance of identifying workplace hazards, conducting inspections, investigating incidents and near misses, and implementing controls to reduce exposure.
For additional resources, employers can explore OSHA's struck-by construction resources, OSHA's general industry resources, OSHA's hazard identification resources, and FMCSA's pedestrian safety resources.
Sentry Road can help your organization address struck-by hazards and other workplace safety topics through practical safety resources and eLearning designed for today's workforce. Learn more at sentryroad.com.