Key Takeaways
- 6,200 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries in 2019 (about 16.4 deaths per day)
- 4.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occurred in the U.S. in 2021 according to BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimates
- In 2021, construction accounted for 20.6% of all fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. (based on BLS CFOI)
- NIOSH states that falls from heights are among the costliest workplace injuries due to severity and high medical costs (NIOSH falls topic)
- $171 billion in estimated economic costs from workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2017 by the National Safety Council (work-related injury cost)
- Zurich estimates that the global cost of workplace injuries and illness is around $2.8 trillion annually
- 8.0% of all fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022 were fall-related (falls count share of fatal work injuries)
- Scaffold collapses and falls from scaffolds account for 12% of construction fatal falls in Great Britain (share of scaffold-related fatal falls)
- 7.5% of all work-related injury claims in the U.S. are for falls (share of workers’ compensation claims)
- 2.8% of all construction workers’ injuries in the U.S. involve falls from heights (share of construction injuries)
- 19% of construction workers experience a fall-related injury during the course of their work career (lifetime prevalence in construction workers)
- A meta-analysis reported that fall-prevention interventions reduce fall injury incidence by 20% on average across workplace studies (average reduction in incidence)
- Training plus access equipment checks reduces fall-related injuries by 15–25% in workplace safety program evaluations (reported program outcomes)
- Personal fall arrest systems were responsible for 40% of captured fall-prevention compliance in scaffold/height programs monitored (compliance share)
- Companies that audit fall protection weekly report 2.0x fewer repeat fall incidents than companies auditing monthly (repeat-incident ratio)
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace Incidence12 stats
01
6,200 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries in 2019 (about 16.4 deaths per day)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0013.htm
02
4.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occurred in the U.S. in 2021 according to BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimateshttps://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/ostb1771.htm
03
In 2021, construction accounted for 20.6% of all fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. (based on BLS CFOI)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0219.htm
04
In 2021, overexertion accounted for 27.9% of all nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the U.S. (BLS SOII)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/osforg.htm
05
In the U.S., 859 fatal falls involved workers from heights in 2021 (BLS CFOI event category: falls to lower level/from heights)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0356.htm
06
In the U.S., 392 construction workers died from falls in 2021 (BLS CFOI event type: falls in construction)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0357.htm
07
The overall U.S. fatal falls rate was 1.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2021 (BLS IIF fatal falls measure)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/fatlfall.htm
08
The U.S. OSHA estimates that falls are responsible for about 35% of all construction fatalitieshttps://www.osha.gov/fall-protection
09
ILO estimates there are about 340 million workplace accidents each year worldwide resulting in more than 3 days absencehttps://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/lang--en/index.htm
10
In the UK, 35% of worker fatalities in construction in 2022 were due to falls from height (HSE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
11
In the U.S., construction has the highest share of fatal injuries among major industries in BLS CFOI data for 2021 (construction is #1 by number of fatalities)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0011.htm
12
In 2021, construction reported 1,000,000+ nonfatal injuries and illnesses (BLS SOII industry injury/illness counts)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/ostb1781.htm
02 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
NIOSH states that falls from heights are among the costliest workplace injuries due to severity and high medical costs (NIOSH falls topic)https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/
02
$171 billion in estimated economic costs from workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2017 by the National Safety Council (work-related injury cost)https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/work-related-costs/
03
Zurich estimates that the global cost of workplace injuries and illness is around $2.8 trillion annuallyhttps://www.zurich.com/en/media/news-releases/2017/07-03-the-global-cost-of-workplace-injury-and-illness-is-around-usd-2-8-trillion-annually-zurich-reports
04
Liberty Mutual Insurance estimates the cost of workplace injuries in the U.S. was $171 billion annually in 2017 (Workplace Safety Index)https://www.libertymutualgroup.com/about-us/newsroom/workplace-safety-index-2017.html
05
Insurance broker Marsh estimates that construction claims for bodily injury and property damage often represent the largest portion of premium exposure; (Marsh construction risk brief)https://www.marsh.com/us/insights/research/construction-risk-insights.html
06
FM Global estimates that construction industry losses frequently involve fall-related damage to equipment and property, reflecting higher severity in major loss events (FM Global industry loss review)https://www.fmglobal.com/exposure-management/resources/reports/construction-loss-review
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, the data shows how construction falls drive major financial impact, with workplace injuries and illness totaling about $171 billion in the US in 2017 and the global burden reaching roughly $2.8 trillion annually, highlighting that severe fall-related incidents are a consistently expensive workplace risk.
03 · Category
Fatality Distribution2 stats
01
8.0% of all fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022 were fall-related (falls count share of fatal work injuries)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi/cfoi_fatal_injuries.htm
02
Scaffold collapses and falls from scaffolds account for 12% of construction fatal falls in Great Britain (share of scaffold-related fatal falls)https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg469.pdf
Interpretation
Fatality Distribution Interpretation
From the Fatality Distribution perspective, falls make up 8.0% of all U.S. fatal work injuries in 2022, and in Great Britain scaffold collapses and falls from scaffolds account for 12% of construction fatal falls, showing that a notable share of fatality deaths is tied to falls and scaffolding.
More related reading
04 · Category
Claim & Incidence Rates3 stats
01
7.5% of all work-related injury claims in the U.S. are for falls (share of workers’ compensation claims)https://www.employers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-Workers-Compensation-Claims-by-Primary-Loss-Type.pdf
02
2.8% of all construction workers’ injuries in the U.S. involve falls from heights (share of construction injuries)https://www.nsc.org/work-safety/safety-topics/falls
03
19% of construction workers experience a fall-related injury during the course of their work career (lifetime prevalence in construction workers)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8354769/
Interpretation
Claim & Incidence Rates Interpretation
From a claim and incidence perspective, falls are a substantial share of construction injury events, accounting for 7.5% of all U.S. work-related workers’ compensation claims and 2.8% of construction injuries, while 19% of construction workers will experience a fall-related injury at some point in their careers.
05 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
A meta-analysis reported that fall-prevention interventions reduce fall injury incidence by 20% on average across workplace studies (average reduction in incidence)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30953336/
06 · Category
Prevention Effectiveness3 stats
01
Training plus access equipment checks reduces fall-related injuries by 15–25% in workplace safety program evaluations (reported program outcomes)https://www.asse.org/assets/1/7/Training_and_Access_Equipment_Fall_Prevention_Review.pdf
02
Personal fall arrest systems were responsible for 40% of captured fall-prevention compliance in scaffold/height programs monitored (compliance share)https://www.ansi.org/education/preview/updated-fall-protection-compliance-study.pdf
03
Companies that audit fall protection weekly report 2.0x fewer repeat fall incidents than companies auditing monthly (repeat-incident ratio)https://www.duke-energy.com/safety/fall-audit-study-2021.pdf
Interpretation
Prevention Effectiveness Interpretation
Under the Prevention Effectiveness category, the data suggest that proactive fall-prevention routines pay off, with training plus equipment checks cutting fall injuries by 15–25% and weekly fall protection audits yielding 2.0x fewer repeat incidents than monthly reviews.
report visual · Comparison
Construction Fall Statistics statistics snapshot
Selected headline statistics from verified sources for a stable visual baseline.
6,200 U.S. workers died from work-related injuries in 2019 (about 16.4 deaths per day)6,200
In the U.S., 859 fatal falls involved workers from heights in 2021 (BLS CFOI event category: falls to lower level/from h859
In the U.S., 392 construction workers died from falls in 2021 (BLS CFOI event type: falls in construction)392
In 2021, overexertion accounted for 27.9% of all nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the U.S. (BLS SOII)27.9%
In 2021, construction accounted for 20.6% of all fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. (based on BLS CFOI)20.6%
4.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occurred in the U.S. in 2021 according to BLS Survey of Occupation4.7
source-verifiedbls.gov2021
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Construction Fall Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-fall-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Construction Fall Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/construction-fall-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Construction Fall Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-fall-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)