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CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS

Construction workers are exposed to a wider variety of hazards and face a greater risk of work-related injury or fatality than employees in any other U.S. industry. Construction accidents comprise a wide variety of scenarios and include:

  • Asbestos Poisoning
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Chemical Exposure
  • Construction Trips or Falls
  • Defective Equipment or Machinery
  • Drug User by Employees
  • Electrocution
  • Lead Poisoning
  • Lifting Injuries
  • Negligence of Employees
  • Repetitive Motion Injuries
  • Scaffolding Accidents
  • Trench Accidents
  • Unsafe Equipment
  • Welding Accidents

    • Construction Accidents by the numbers

    Protecting construction workers from injury and disease is among the greatest challenges in occupational safety and health. Consider these statistics.

    » More than 7 million persons work in the construction industry, representing 6% of the labor force. Approximately 1.5 million of these workers are self-employed.

    » In 2000, there were about 6,000 fatalities as a result of construction accidents, which is over 15 construction accident related deaths per day. Electrocution is causes more construction accident deaths than anything else.

    » Of approximately 600,000 construction companies, 90% employ fewer than 20 workers. Few have formal safety and health programs.

    » From 1980-1993, an average of 1,079 construction workers were killed on the job each year, more fatal injuries than in any other industry.

    » Falls caused 3,859 construction worker fatalities (25.6%) between 1980 and 1993.

    » 15% of workers' compensation costs are spent on construction injuries.

    » Assuring safety and health in construction is complex, involving short-term work sites, changing hazards, and multiple operations and crews working in close proximity.

    In 1990, Congress directed NIOSH to undertake research and training to reduce diseases and injuries among construction workers in the United States. Under this mandate, NIOSH funds both intramural and extramural research projects.

    Construction Accident Safety Tips

    The top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions.

    Construction Accident - Falls

  • Wear and use personal fall arrest equipment.
  • Install and maintain perimeter protection.
  • Cover and secure floor openings and label floor opening covers.
  • Use ladders and scaffolds safely.

    • Construction Accidents - Struck-By

  • Never position yourself between moving and fixed objects.
  • Wear high-visibility clothes near equipment/vehicles.

    • Construction Accidents - Caught-In/Between

  • Never enter an unprotected trench or excavation 5 feet or deeper without an adequate protective system in place; some trenches under 5 feet deep may also need such a system.
  • Make sure the trench or excavation is protected either by sloping, shoring, benching or trench shield systems.

    • Construction Accidents - Electrocutions

  • Locate and identify utilities before starting work.
  • Look for overhead power lines when operating any equipment.
  • Maintain a safe distance away from power lines; learn the safe distance requirements.
  • Do not operate portable electric tools unless they are grounded or double insulated.
  • Use ground-fault circuit interrupters for protection.
  • Be alert to electrical hazards when working with ladders, scaffolds or other platforms.

    • Construction Accident Statistics for 2005 and 2006

    As reported by OSHA, In 2005, occupational injury and illness rates declined again to 4.6 cases per 100 employees, with 4.2 million injuries and illnesses among private sector firms. Approximately 33 percent of work-related injuries occurred in goods-producing industries and 67 percent in services.

    There were 5,703 employee deaths in 2006, a slight decrease from the 2005 total of 5,734. The fatality rate of 3.9 deaths per 100,000 employees was down slightly from a rate of 4.0 in 2005. Fatalities related to highway incidents and homicides increased, while deaths related to falls decreased.

    NIOSH Alerts on Construction Hazards

    NIOSH has published a number of Alerts on hazards that are faced by workers in the construction industry. These Alerts provide brief overviews of the problems, present case descriptions of fatal incidents, outline the relevant safety standards and practices, and summarize NIOSH recommendations for prevention.

    » Carbon Monoxide
    » Confined Spaces
    » Cranes and Overhead Power Lines
    » Electrical Energy
    » Excavations
    » Forklifts
    » Homicide
    » Ladders and Overhead Power Lines
    » Motor Vehicles
    » Scaffolds
    » Skid Steer Loaders
    » Skylights and Roof Openings
    » Telecommunication Towers
    » Trench Cave-ins

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