While construction is undeniably the backbone of our modern landscape, the staggering reality is that in 2022 alone, 1,056 lives were lost on U.S. construction sites, a grim statistic that reveals the urgent and often preventable dangers facing the industry.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, construction fatalities in the US reached 1,056, marking a 5.7% increase from 2021
- Falls accounted for 38.4% of construction worker deaths in 2022, totaling 405 fatalities
- Struck-by incidents caused 152 construction deaths in 2022, representing 14.4% of total fatalities
- In 2022, nonfatal construction injuries totaled 150,360 cases requiring days away from work
- Sprains, strains, tears affected 29.8% of construction injury cases in 2022
- Fractures from construction accidents numbered 19,200 in 2022
- In 2022, 46% of construction fatalities were due to falls from heights over 6 feet
- Lack of fall protection cited in 90% of fatal fall cases in construction 2022
- Struck-by flying objects caused by improper PPE usage in 25% of cases 2022
- US construction industry direct costs from accidents totaled $11.5 billion in 2022
- Indirect costs of construction accidents estimated at 3-5 times direct costs, averaging $50B annually
- Average workers' comp claim cost for construction injury was $41,857 in 2022
- In 2022, construction TFIR decreased 2% to 2.5 incidents per 100 workers
- From 2012-2022, construction fatalities rose 29% despite overall decline in other sectors
- Post-COVID, construction injuries surged 11% in 2021-2022
The rise in construction fatalities highlights urgent safety improvements needed across the industry.
Causes
- In 2022, 46% of construction fatalities were due to falls from heights over 6 feet
- Lack of fall protection cited in 90% of fatal fall cases in construction 2022
- Struck-by flying objects caused by improper PPE usage in 25% of cases 2022
- Trench failures from no cave-in protection in 80% of collapse fatalities 2011-2021
- Electrical contact with overhead power lines in 45% of electrocution deaths 2022
- Scaffold collapses due to poor assembly in 65% of incidents 2020-2022
- Crane tip-overs from overload or instability in 70% of fatal crane accidents 2022
- Fatigue contributed to 20% of construction accidents per NIOSH studies 2022
- Drug/alcohol involvement in 15% of construction fatalities 2022
- Inadequate training cited in 40% of OSHA construction violations 2022
- Weather conditions (wind/rain) factor in 12% of scaffolding falls 2022
- Improper ladder use led to 81% of ladder-related injuries/fatalities 2022
- Vehicle backups struck 15% of workers in construction sites 2022
- Leading cause of construction injuries: overexertion at 34% in 2022
- Contact with objects/equipment 21% of injuries, struck-by 15% 2022
- Exposure to harmful substances 5% but rising in construction 2022
- Violence/aggression rare at 1% but underreported in construction 2022
- Fires/explosions 2% of construction incidents 2022
- Transportation incidents 17% of construction fatalities/causes 2022
- Human factors like rushing in 30% of scaffold accidents 2022
- Defective equipment in 22% of machinery mishaps construction 2022
- Poor housekeeping caused 15% of slips in construction sites 2022
- Inadequate guarding on equipment 40% of caught-in cases 2022
- Overhead power line proximity ignored in 50% electrocutions 2022
Causes Interpretation
This grim spreadsheet of entirely preventable disasters reads less like an accident report and more like a collective, and frankly lazy, confession that we keep choosing speed and savings over the very simple rules that would send our colleagues home alive.
Costs
- US construction industry direct costs from accidents totaled $11.5 billion in 2022
- Indirect costs of construction accidents estimated at 3-5 times direct costs, averaging $50B annually
- Average workers' comp claim cost for construction injury was $41,857 in 2022
- Fatal construction accident cost per incident averaged $1.4 million in 2022
- Lost productivity from construction injuries cost $170 billion yearly pre-2023
- Medical costs for construction MSDs totaled $1.2B in 2022
- Training costs post-accident averaged $15,000 per construction site incident 2022
- Downtime from crane accidents cost $500K per day on average 2022
- Legal settlements for fall fatalities averaged $2.5M in construction 2022 cases
- Insurance premium hikes post-accident averaged 25% for construction firms 2022
- Total societal cost of construction fatalities $170K per death in lost wages 2022
- Repair costs from struck-by incidents averaged $100K per event 2022
- Global construction accident costs estimated at $2.8 trillion yearly ILO 2023
- Average cost per 100 employees for construction injuries $1.2M 2022
- Property damage from accidents $2.8B in construction 2022
- Wage losses from construction disabilities $5B annually avg 2022
- Recruitment/training replacement post-injury $50K per worker 2022
- Litigation costs for OSHA fines averaged $14K per violation 2022
- Productivity loss 4% of GDP impact from construction accidents 2022
- Family compensation in fatalities $1M+ per case avg 2022
- Equipment downtime post-accident 20 hours avg costing $10K/hr 2022
- Admin costs for claims processing $3B in construction 2022
Costs Interpretation
While we can measure the staggering $50 billion annual toll of construction accidents in direct costs, legal fees, and lost productivity, the true price is a chilling echo of human suffering and broken families that no balance sheet will ever truly capture.
Fatalities
- In 2022, construction fatalities in the US reached 1,056, marking a 5.7% increase from 2021
- Falls accounted for 38.4% of construction worker deaths in 2022, totaling 405 fatalities
- Struck-by incidents caused 152 construction deaths in 2022, representing 14.4% of total fatalities
- Caught-in/between events led to 69 construction fatalities in 2022, or 6.5% of the total
- Electrocutions resulted in 73 construction worker deaths in 2022, comprising 6.9%
- From 2011-2022, over 10,000 construction workers died from workplace injuries, averaging 850 per year
- Hispanic or Latino construction workers had a fatality rate of 19.9 per 100,000 in 2022, higher than the overall 13.5 rate
- In New York, 2022 saw 42 construction fatalities, up 24% from 2021
- Roofers experienced 51.2 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2022, the highest in construction
- Structural iron and steel workers had 25.6 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalents in 2022
- In 2021, falls from roofs caused 179 construction deaths nationwide
- Crane-related incidents killed 29 construction workers in 2020-2022 average annually
- Trench collapses claimed 166 lives from 2011-2021 in construction
- In California, 2022 construction fatalities numbered 109, with falls leading at 38%
- Older workers (55+) in construction had a 18.2 fatality rate per 100k in 2022
- Globally, construction accounts for 30% of all fatal work injuries per ILO estimates 2023
- UK construction fatalities dropped to 29 in 2022/23 from 40 prior year
- Australia reported 25 construction deaths in 2022, rate of 6.4 per 100k
- In Canada, 2022 construction fatalities were 92, with machinery 22%
- EU-27 construction fatality rate was 4.6 per 100k in 2020
- In 2023 Q1, US construction fatalities preliminary at 250, down 10% YoY
- Texas led states with 92 construction deaths in 2022
- Ironworkers fatality rate 31.7 per 100k in 2022
- Operating engineers had 22.1 fatalities per 100k in construction 2022
- From 1980-2022, 1 in 10 construction workers die on job lifetime risk
- Women in construction had 8.2 fatality rate vs 14.5 for men 2022
- Apprentice construction workers fatality rate 2x journeymen at 25.4 per 100k 2022
- Night shift construction fatalities 3x daytime rates per NIOSH 2022
- Highway construction deaths 1.5x higher at 22 per 100k 2022
Fatalities Interpretation
The grim reality behind these numbers is that in the so-called "trades of progress," a worker is statistically far more likely to be killed by gravity, a piece of machinery, or a trench than by any intentional malice, yet each preventable death represents a catastrophic failure of planning, protection, and priority.
Injuries
- In 2022, nonfatal construction injuries totaled 150,360 cases requiring days away from work
- Sprains, strains, tears affected 29.8% of construction injury cases in 2022
- Fractures from construction accidents numbered 19,200 in 2022
- Cuts, lacerations, punctures caused 18,490 construction injuries in 2022
- Soreness and pain cases in construction reached 13,760 in 2022
- Construction workers had 2.8 incidents per 100 full-time workers for nonfatal injuries in 2022
- Hand injuries comprised 20% of construction nonfatal cases in 2021-2022 average
- Back injuries from overexertion totaled 25% of construction claims in 2022
- Eye injuries in construction numbered 4,100 severe cases in 2022
- Shoulder injuries led with median 21 days away from work in construction 2022
- Falls on same level caused 25,340 construction injuries in 2022
- Overexertion incidents resulted in 32,500 construction injury cases in 2022
- Hit by object injuries totaled 22,100 in construction 2022
- Machinery accidents caused 12,600 nonfatal construction injuries in 2022
- Electrical injuries (nonfatal) numbered 1,200 in construction 2022
- Heat-related illnesses in construction led to 2,500 cases in 2022 summer
- Noise-induced hearing loss claims in construction averaged 4,000 annually 2018-2022
- Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 34% of construction lost workdays in 2022
- In 2022, 172,880 construction workers suffered nonfatal injuries
- Lower extremities injured in 15% of construction cases 2022
- Bruises/abrasions totaled 8,450 construction injuries 2022
- Amputations in construction 1,100 cases requiring days away 2022
- Multiple traumatic injuries 4,200 in construction 2022
- Carpal tunnel syndrome claims 2,800 in construction 2022
- Construction median days away from work 8 days for injuries 2022
- Respiratory illnesses from silica 3,500 cases in construction 2022
- Vibration-related disorders 1,200 claims in construction tools use 2022
- Burn injuries 900 nonfatal in construction welding 2022
- Slips/trips caused 18% of construction nonfatal falls 2022
- 42% of construction injuries from falls to lower level 2022
Injuries Interpretation
The construction industry delivers impressive structures, but the sobering statistics reveal that its true cost is a daily, painful toll of sprains, fractures, and falls on the workers who build them.
Trends
- In 2022, construction TFIR decreased 2% to 2.5 incidents per 100 workers
- From 2012-2022, construction fatalities rose 29% despite overall decline in other sectors
- Post-COVID, construction injuries surged 11% in 2021-2022
- Hispanic construction fatality rates increased 10% from 2019-2022
- Fall protection violations trended up 5% in construction inspections 2022
- Electrocution rates stable at 7% of fatalities 2018-2022
- Remote work shift reduced non-construction injuries but construction up 4% 2022
- Automation adoption slowed accident decline by 1% in construction 2022
- PPE usage compliance improved 15% in construction 2020-2022
- Climate change increased heat illness trends 20% in construction 2022
- In 2022, UK construction RIDDOR injuries fell 8% to 65,000
- Australian construction lost time injury frequency down 12% 2018-2022
- EU construction accidents declined 3% yearly average 2016-2020
- Canada construction TFIR dropped to 1.9 in 2022 from 2.5 in 2015
- Construction DART rate improved 5% from 2021 to 1.0 in 2022
- Small construction firms (<20 workers) TFIR 3x larger firms 2022
- Union construction injury rates 50% lower than non-union 2022
- Tech like drones reduced site accidents 10% in adopting firms 2022
- Mental health factors emerging in 8% accident reports 2022
- Silica exposure violations up 7% in inspections 2022 trend
- EV battery plant construction injuries up 15% 2022 boom
- Green building sites 20% fewer incidents than traditional 2022
- AI predictive analytics cut near-misses 25% in pilot sites 2022
Trends Interpretation
Construction is a statistical paradox where we're getting safer by most metrics yet still dying more often, like carefully polishing the deck chairs on a ship that's somehow catching more on fire.
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