Construction injuries still cluster around a handful of repeat hazards, but the mix is revealing. Falls and other same-year slip trip and related incidents drove 47% of nonfatal injuries, while overexertion and bodily reaction accounted for 34% of days away cases, creating a sharp split between the way workers lose their balance and the way they overstrain their bodies. And with nail gun injuries averaging 3,700 each year from 2011 to 2021, plus thousands of annual hand and scaffold incidents, it becomes clear that some risks are both persistent and preventable enough to measure closely.
Key Takeaways
- Falls, slips, trips caused 47% of nonfatal construction injuries in 2022.
- Overexertion and bodily reaction: 34% of construction nonfatal days-away cases 2022.
- Struck by object or equipment: 17% of construction nonfatal injuries 2022.
- In 2022, construction workers experienced 1,056 fatal injuries, accounting for 19.9% of all workplace fatalities in the US.
- The construction industry had a fatal injury rate of 13.1 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2022.
- Falls to a lower level caused 395 construction fatalities in 2022, representing 37.4% of construction deaths.
- Construction nonfatal injury rate was 2.1 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
- In 2022, construction had 150,360 nonfatal injuries and illnesses with days away from work.
- Sprains, strains, tears accounted for 32.4% of construction nonfatal cases in 2022.
- Construction costs $170 billion annually in US due to injuries 2022.
- Fatalities cost $1.4 million per death in construction.
- Nonfatal injury average cost: $42,000 per case 2022.
- Construction workers aged 25-34 had 32% of nonfatal injuries in 2022.
- Males comprised 92% of construction injury cases in 2022.
- Hispanic workers: 30% of construction nonfatal injuries 2022.
Falls and overexertion drive most construction injuries, while heat and struck by incidents still pose major fatal risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Causes of Injuries25 stats
01
Falls, slips, trips caused 47% of nonfatal construction injuries in 2022.
02
Overexertion and bodily reaction: 34% of construction nonfatal days-away cases 2022.
03
Struck by object or equipment: 17% of construction nonfatal injuries 2022.
04
Contact with objects/equipment: 15% of cases 2022.
05
Exposure to harmful substances: 3% of construction injuries 2022.
06
Caught in/between: 5% of nonfatal construction cases 2022.
07
Lifting caused 22% of overexertion injuries in construction 2022.
08
Slips without fall: 4% of construction nonfatal 2022.
09
Trips without fall: 3.5% of cases 2022.
10
Nail gun injuries: 3,700 annually average 2011-2021 in construction.
11
Power tool cuts: 12% of hand injuries in construction.
12
Scaffold-related injuries: 4,500 nonfatal annually.
13
Ladder incidents: 20% of fall injuries from same level.
14
Trenching injuries: 500 nonfatal caught-in cases yearly.
15
Crane strikes: 71 nonfatal injuries 2011-2021.
16
Welding burns: 2,100 eye injuries annually.
17
Silica exposure respiratory cases: 1,200 in construction yearly.
18
Asbestos-related non-acute injuries: 800 cases reported.
19
Heat-related illnesses: 450 cases in construction 2022.
20
Noise-induced hearing loss claims: 2,500 annually.
21
Vehicle backs-over: 1,200 struck-by cases yearly.
22
Forklift tip-overs: 300 injuries in construction.
23
Electrical shocks nonfatal: 1,800 cases 2022.
24
Inhalation of fumes: 900 respiratory cases 2022.
25
Manual material handling: 40% of musculoskeletal disorders.
Interpretation
Causes of Injuries Interpretation
The construction site is a masterclass in chaotic physics, where gravity is the leading cause of insults, your own body is its own worst enemy, and the inanimate objects around you have a surprising, and statistically significant, vendetta.
02 · Category
Fatalities30 stats
01
In 2022, construction workers experienced 1,056 fatal injuries, accounting for 19.9% of all workplace fatalities in the US.
02
The construction industry had a fatal injury rate of 13.1 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2022.
03
Falls to a lower level caused 395 construction fatalities in 2022, representing 37.4% of construction deaths.
04
Struck by object or equipment resulted in 151 construction fatalities in 2022.
05
From 2011-2022, construction saw an average of 1,028 fatalities per year.
06
In 2021, 964 construction workers died on the job, a rate of 12.2 per 100,000 workers.
07
Hispanic or Latino construction workers had 424 fatalities in 2022, 40% of total construction deaths.
08
In New York, construction fatalities numbered 53 in 2022, highest among states proportionally.
09
Roofers had a fatality rate of 51.8 per 100,000 in 2022, highest in construction.
10
Structural iron and steel workers fatalities: 26.2 per 100,000 in 2022.
11
From 2013-2022, 10,480 construction fatalities occurred, averaging 1,048 annually.
12
Electrocutions caused 73 construction deaths in 2022, 6.9% of total.
13
Caught-in/between incidents led to 46 construction fatalities in 2022.
14
In 2020, construction fatalities dropped to 1,008 due to COVID slowdowns.
15
Texas reported 107 construction fatalities in 2022.
16
Older workers (55+) accounted for 30% of construction fatalities in 2022.
17
In Canada, construction had 26 fatalities in 2021, rate of 8.7 per 100,000.
18
UK construction fatalities: 29 in 2022/23, rate 1.61 per 100,000 workers.
19
Australia construction fatalities: 24 in 2022, highest industry.
20
In 2019, 1,061 construction fatalities in US, peak recent year.
21
Crane-related fatalities: 29 in construction 2011-2021 average.
22
Trench collapse fatalities: 166 in construction 2011-2022.
23
Ladder falls caused 81 construction fatalities 2011-2022.
24
Scaffolding fatalities: 89 from 2011-2022 in construction.
25
Highway work zone construction fatalities: 871 from 2012-2021.
26
In 2022, 112 construction fatalities from falls from roofs.
27
Machinery-related construction deaths: 128 in 2022.
28
Fire/explosion caused 9 construction fatalities in 2022.
29
Violence/overexertion rare but 12 construction fatalities in 2022.
30
In 2022, private construction fatalities totaled 1,050 of 1,056.
Interpretation
Fatalities Interpretation
The grim mathematics of construction reveal an industry where a worker is statistically more likely to be killed by the law of gravity than by any law of the land, with falls accounting for over a third of deaths in a field that, year after grim year, averages the chilling equivalent of a fully occupied commercial airliner crashing with no survivors.
03 · Category
Non-Fatal Injuries29 stats
01
Construction nonfatal injury rate was 2.1 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
02
In 2022, construction had 150,360 nonfatal injuries and illnesses with days away from work.
03
Sprains, strains, tears accounted for 32.4% of construction nonfatal cases in 2022.
04
Soreness/pain cases: 20.3% of construction nonfatal injuries in 2022.
05
Cuts, lacerations, punctures: 13.1% of construction nonfatal cases 2022.
06
Fractures represented 8.7% of nonfatal construction injuries in 2022.
07
In 2022, median days away from work for construction injuries: 12 days.
08
Overexertion caused 24.7% of nonfatal days-away cases in construction 2022.
09
Falls on same level: 15.8% of construction nonfatal injuries 2022.
10
Struck by object: 17.2% of construction nonfatal cases 2022.
11
From 2011-2021, average 172,000 nonfatal construction injuries annually.
12
Eye injuries in construction: 4,100 cases with days away in 2022.
13
Back injuries: 38,200 cases in construction 2022.
14
Shoulder injuries: 19,500 nonfatal cases in construction 2022.
15
Hand injuries: 22,800 cases with days away in construction 2022.
16
In 2021, construction nonfatal rate 2.2 per 100 workers.
17
Carpenters had 18,900 nonfatal injuries in 2022.
18
Laborers nonfatal injuries: 35,600 in 2022.
19
Electricians: 12,400 nonfatal cases 2022.
20
Roofers nonfatal rate: 4.8 per 100 workers 2022.
21
In UK, construction nonfatal injuries: 65,000 in 2022/23.
22
Canada construction nonfatal claims: 12,460 in 2021.
23
Australia construction serious claims: 7,200 in 2022.
24
Knee injuries in construction: 8,900 cases 2022.
25
Ankle injuries: 6,200 nonfatal cases 2022.
26
Head injuries excluding eyes: 4,500 cases 2022.
27
Falls to lower level nonfatal: 17,100 cases in construction 2022.
28
Contact with electric current nonfatal: 1,200 cases 2022.
29
In 2022, 27.5% of construction nonfatal cases involved days away, restricted, or transferred work.
Interpretation
Non-Fatal Injuries Interpretation
The construction industry’s annual injury report is essentially a grim, statistically-verified plea for better boots, sharper minds, and stricter safety rules, where every sprain, fall, and puncture proves that “working hard” shouldn’t mean getting hurt hard.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends and Costs25 stats
01
Construction costs $170 billion annually in US due to injuries 2022.
02
Fatalities cost $1.4 million per death in construction.
03
Nonfatal injury average cost: $42,000per case 2022.
04
Workers' comp costs for construction: $15 billion yearly.
05
Fall injuries cost $4.7 billion annually in construction.
06
Struck-by costs: $2.1 billion per year.
07
OSHA fines for construction violations: $150 million in 2022.
08
Injury rates declined 30% from 2012-2022 in construction.
09
Fatal rate increased 11% from 2021-2022 to 13.1.
10
PPE non-use contributes to 60% of hand injuries, cost savings potential $1B.
11
Training ROI: $4saved per $1 spent on safety training.
12
UK construction injury costs: £5.8 billion in 2022/23.
13
Canada workers' comp payouts construction: $1.2 billion CAD 2021.
14
Australia construction claims cost: AUD 1.5 billion 2022.
15
Musculoskeletal disorders cost $1 billion yearly in construction.
16
Absenteeism from injuries: 2.5 million lost workdays annually.
17
Productivity loss: 37% of injury costs.
18
Medical costs: 23% of total injury expenses.
19
Indemnity costs: 40% of construction injury totals.
20
Silica regulations saved $12 billion in health costs projected.
21
Crane certification reduced incidents 20%, saving $500M.
22
From 1992-2022, construction fatal rate halved from 25 to 13.
23
Nonfatal rates from 4.2 to 2.1 per 100 workers 2003-2022.
24
COVID-19 added 1,000 respiratory illnesses in construction 2020-2021.
25
Climate change projected to increase heat injuries 20% by 2030.
Interpretation
Trends and Costs Interpretation
The brutal math of construction safety reveals a staggering $170 billion annual toll where every saved dollar in training saves four, yet a lethal complacency persists as fatalities rise despite decades of progress.
05 · Category
Worker Characteristics25 stats
01
Construction workers aged 25-34 had 32% of nonfatal injuries in 2022.
02
Males comprised 92% of construction injury cases in 2022.
03
Hispanic workers: 30% of construction nonfatal injuries 2022.
04
White non-Hispanic: 55% of construction injuries 2022.
05
Workers aged 45-54: 22% of injuries 2022.
06
Apprentices: 2x injury rate of experienced workers.
07
Immigrant workers: 25% higher injury rate in construction.
08
Union workers had 15% lower injury rates than non-union.
09
Self-employed construction workers: 40% of fatalities disproportionately.
10
Carpenters median age 41, injury peak at 35-44.
11
Laborers: 1.8 million employed, 25% under 25 years old.
12
Women: 10.9% of construction workforce, 8% of injuries.
13
Black workers: 7% of workforce, 6% of injuries 2022.
14
Asian workers: 3% of construction injuries 2022.
15
Workers 65+: 5% of workforce, 8% of fatalities.
16
High school education only: 60% of injured workers.
17
Temporary workers: 20% higher injury rates.
18
Night shift workers: 30% more fall injuries.
19
Small firms (<20 workers): 50% of injuries despite 30% workforce.
20
In UK, 18-24 year olds: 25% of construction injuries.
21
Canada: New workers (<1 year) 25% of injuries.
22
Australia: Migrant workers 18% higher claims rate.
23
Veterans in construction: 15% of workforce, similar injury rates.
24
Disabled workers: 4% of workforce, 12% higher injury risk.
25
Language barriers: 2.5x injury rate for limited English.
Interpretation
Worker Characteristics Interpretation
These statistics paint a picture of an industry where inexperience, vulnerability, and a lack of protection—whether from language barriers, precarious employment, or non-union status—are the most reliable predictors of getting hurt.
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
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Construction Injury Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-injury-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Construction Injury Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/construction-injury-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Construction Injury Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/construction-injury-statistics.
Sources & references
18 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level