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The Construction Industry: Accident Statistics

To understand the context in which your claim will be considered, it is important to understand some facts about the construction industry and workplace safety. You should review these statistics to understand the nature of the construction trade. The best way to gain a complete understanding of your legal rights is to consult an attorney with experience in construction injury litigation.

• Fatal Injuries. Construction workers accounted for 20% of all fatal workplace accidents and 10% of all non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2004. To address the hazards of construction work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have established specific safety-related goals and regulations to reduce workplace-related injuries and illnesses in the construction industry. This attention is a direct result of the industry’s hazardous nature.

In 2004, 1,234 construction workers were killed on the job. While this is a 9% increase over the total from 2003, nearly all of this is due to an increased number of construction workers rather than a decrease in safety. 1.2 out of every 10,000 construction workers were killed in 2004. By comparison, the number for all American workers was 1 in every 25,000 killed.

Fatal injuries occurred throughout the United States. The highest number killed was in Florida, where 115 workers were killed. 114 died in Texas, and 108 in California. 99% of all fatally injured workers were male. 70% were between the ages of 25 and 54. White non-Hispanic workers accounted for 65% of all fatal injuries. 312 Hispanic construction workers died in 2004. This is a 20% increase over the total from 2003, although the total number of Hispanic construction workers increased only 9%.
Most fatal construction accidents were the result of a fall, which killed 36% of all construction workers who died on the job in 2004. 23% died in a transportation accident, 18% died when struck by a falling or collapsing object, and 10% were killed in an electrical accident.

Construction laborers were worst hit, followed by carpenters and construction managers and foremen. Roofers suffered the largest increase in fatal accidents. A third of fatal accidents involving roofers resulted from vehicle accidents, electrocutions, and falls from cranes or ladders. Most fatal accidents occured in specialty trade contractor industries, as opposed to highway or utility construction.

• Nonfatal injuries and illnesses. Construction workers suffered 401,000 non-fatal injuries and illnesses in 2004, a 2% drop from the 2003 total. 6.4% of all construction workers suffered a non-fatal injury or illness in 2004. In 2003, the rate was 6.8%.

Frequent causes of these injuries included overexertion, falls, and falling objects. 37% of injuries were sprained or strained muscles. 14% involved a laceration. 21% of all injuries were to the back.
More than 28% of these cases that required time off from work required a worker to miss more than one month of work, and 13% required missing at least one day. Injuries requiring 1 to 3 weeks off of work increased by 9%, but more serious injuries decreased by almost 9%.

More than a fourth of all non-fatal construction-related injuries and illnesses occurred in California, Texas, and Florida.

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