With 5,333 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022, including 1,007 deaths from falls, this post breaks down the full injury and fatality data to show exactly what is happening on worksites and why.
Key Takeaways
- 5,333 worker fatalities occurred in construction in the United States in 2022
- 1,007 out of 5,333 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were due to falls
- 3,821 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were due to falls, slips, or trips
- $3.00 per worker-hour was estimated as the median cost of a lost-time injury event in a 2020 peer-reviewed cost model (from US data compilation study)
- In a US study, the average direct cost of a construction injury was $18,200 (peer-reviewed analysis of workers’ compensation claims)
- In a US workers’ compensation analysis, the average claim cost for construction injuries was $25,000 (study of ICD-10 injury claims)
- In the US, the overall nonfatal injury rate in construction was higher than the all-industry rate by about 1.2x in 2022 (BLS comparative incidence rates)
- Construction’s incidence rate for injuries and illnesses was 3.8 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)
- Construction’s incidence rate for injuries involving days away from work was 2.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)
In 2022 US construction, 5,333 workers died, with falls the leading cause of fatal injuries.
Industry Trends
15,333 worker fatalities occurred in construction in the United States in 2022[1]
Verified21,007 out of 5,333 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were due to falls[1]
Verified33,821 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were due to falls, slips, or trips[1]
Verified4401 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were caused by being struck by object or equipment[1]
Directional5443 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were caused by caught in or between objects or equipment[1]
Single source61,097 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were caused by contact with electrical current or electricity[1]
Verified73,833 construction worker fatalities in the United States in 2022 were due to transportation incidents[1]
Verified8719,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in construction occurred in the United States in 2022[2]
Verified911.7% of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the United States in 2022 were in construction[3]
Directional10Construction had an incidence rate of 3.8 workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS private industry)[4]
Single source11Construction had a days-away-from-work incidence rate of 2.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS private industry)[4]
Verified12Construction had a job transfer or restriction incidence rate of 1.1 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS private industry)[4]
Verified13Construction had an incidence rate of 4.3 for injuries involving days away from work and restricted work combined in 2022 (BLS private industry)[4]
Verified14In 2022, construction had 155,700 injuries and illnesses involving days away from work[5]
Directional15In 2022, construction had 63,300 injuries and illnesses involving job transfer or restriction[5]
Single source16In 2022, construction had 43,900 injuries and illnesses involving both days away from work and job transfer or restriction[5]
Verified17In 2022, construction reported 10,100 injuries and illnesses involving loss of consciousness[6]
Verified18In 2022, construction reported 24,800 serious injuries involving amputation[6]
Verified19In 2022, construction reported 56,400 injuries and illnesses involving fractures[6]
Directional20In 2022, construction reported 32,300 injuries and illnesses involving burns[6]
Single source21In 2022, construction reported 129,000 injuries and illnesses involving sprains, strains, tears, or other soft tissue injuries[6]
Verified22In 2022, construction reported 30,700 injuries and illnesses due to falls, slips, and trips[7]
Verified23In 2022, construction reported 18,700 injuries and illnesses due to contact with objects and equipment[7]
Verified24In 2022, construction reported 12,200 injuries and illnesses due to overexertion and bodily reaction[7]
Directional25In 2022, construction reported 9,200 injuries and illnesses due to transportation incidents[7]
Single source26In 2022, construction reported 7,000 injuries and illnesses due to exposure to harmful substances or environments[7]
Verified27In 2022, construction reported 6,500 injuries and illnesses due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals[7]
Verified28Construction had the highest fatality rate among major industry groups for 2022 in the US (BLS CFOI fatality rate per 100,000 workers)[8]
Verified29In the US, 25% of all fatal falls at work occur in construction (NIOSH fatal falls summary)[9]
Directional30In the US, construction’s fatality count increased from 5,205 in 2021 to 5,333 in 2022 (BLS CFOI)[1]
Single source31In the US, construction’s falls-related fatalities rose from 949 in 2021 to 1,007 in 2022 (BLS CFOI)[1]
Verified32In the US, construction’s struck-by fatalities increased from 396 in 2021 to 401 in 2022 (BLS CFOI)[1]
Verified33In the US, construction’s caught-in/between fatalities increased from 428 in 2021 to 443 in 2022 (BLS CFOI)[1]
VerifiedIndustry Trends Interpretation
In 2022, construction in the United States saw 5,333 worker fatalities, and falls stood out as the leading cause with 1,007 deaths up from 949 in 2021, underscoring how persistently risky falls remain on worksites.
Cost Analysis
1$3.00 per worker-hour was estimated as the median cost of a lost-time injury event in a 2020 peer-reviewed cost model (from US data compilation study)[10]
Verified2In a US study, the average direct cost of a construction injury was $18,200 (peer-reviewed analysis of workers’ compensation claims)[11]
Verified3In a US workers’ compensation analysis, the average claim cost for construction injuries was $25,000 (study of ICD-10 injury claims)[12]
Verified4In the EU, workplace accidents and work-related ill health cost at least €476 billion per year (EU Commission estimate)[13]
Directional5In the EU, the cost of workplace accidents and ill health is estimated to be 3.3% of GDP (European Commission)[13]
Single source6In the US, 100% of construction employers face penalties for OSHA violations with a maximum penalty that can exceed $15,000 per serious violation (OSHA)[14]
Verified7OSHA’s maximum penalty for a serious violation is $16,131 (adjusted 2024) (OSHA)[14]
Verified8OSHA’s maximum penalty for a willful or repeated violation is $161,323 (adjusted 2024) (OSHA)[14]
Verified9OSHA’s maximum penalty for a failure to abate is $16,131 per day (adjusted 2024) (OSHA)[14]
Directional10In the US, the average cost of a fatal occupational injury has been estimated at about $1.2 million (US DOT/NIOSH value-of-statistical-life and labor market analyses compiled in peer-reviewed literature)[15]
Single source11In the EU-27, work-related injuries are estimated to cost employers about €145 billion per year (EU Commission estimate)[16]
Verified12In the EU, work-related illnesses cost employers about €134 billion per year (EU Commission estimate)[16]
Verified13In the US, the direct medical costs of workers’ compensation claims are substantial; in 2019, medical costs accounted for $50.4 billion (NCCI/NAIC workers’ comp medical cost summary)[17]
Verified14In the US, construction had 23.3% of all workplace injuries involving days away from work in 2022 among private industry sectors (BLS composition)[5]
Directional15In the US, construction had 13.6% of all workplace fatalities by industry group in 2022 (BLS CFOI composition)[8]
Single sourceCost Analysis Interpretation
Across the US and EU, the burden of construction and workplace harm is strikingly large, with US medical costs reaching $50.4 billion in 2019 and OSHA penalties topping $161,323 for willful or repeated violations, while in the EU workplace accidents and illnesses cost at least €476 billion per year and account for about 3.3% of GDP.
Performance Metrics
1In the US, the overall nonfatal injury rate in construction was higher than the all-industry rate by about 1.2x in 2022 (BLS comparative incidence rates)[4]
Verified2Construction’s incidence rate for injuries and illnesses was 3.8 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)[4]
Verified3Construction’s incidence rate for injuries involving days away from work was 2.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)[4]
Verified4Construction’s incidence rate for injuries involving job transfer or restriction was 1.1 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)[4]
Directional5Construction’s incidence rate for injuries and illnesses without days away but with other recordable outcomes was 1.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2022 (BLS)[4]
Single source6In 2022, construction had 155,700 cases involving days away from work (BLS)[5]
Verified7In 2022, construction had 63,300 cases involving job transfer or restriction (BLS)[5]
Verified8In 2022, construction had 10,100 cases involving loss of consciousness (BLS)[6]
Verified9In 2022, construction had 24,800 cases involving amputation (BLS)[6]
Directional10In 2022, construction had 56,400 cases involving fractures (BLS)[6]
Single source11In 2022, construction had 129,000 cases involving sprains, strains, tears, or other soft tissue injuries (BLS)[6]
Verified12In 2022, construction had 30,700 cases due to falls, slips, and trips (BLS)[7]
Verified13In 2022, construction had 18,700 cases due to contact with objects and equipment (BLS)[7]
Verified14In 2022, construction had 12,200 cases due to overexertion and bodily reaction (BLS)[7]
Directional15In 2022, construction had 9,200 cases due to transportation incidents (BLS)[7]
Single source16In 2022, construction had 7,000 cases due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (BLS)[7]
Verified17In 2022, construction had 6,500 cases due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals (BLS)[7]
Verified18In Canada, construction has a high rate of workers’ compensation claims; in 2021, the construction injury claim rate was 8.8 per 100 workers (CIHI/StatsCan-based OH claims analysis)[18]
Verified19In the EU, construction has one of the highest rates of non-fatal accidents; in 2019 there were 1,400 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 workers in construction (Eurostat sector statistics summary)[19]
DirectionalPerformance Metrics Interpretation
In 2022, construction injuries were clearly more common than the all-industry average, with an incidence rate of 3.8 per 100 full-time workers and 155,700 cases involving days away from work, while Canada reported 8.8 per 100 workers in 2021 and the EU logged 1,400 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 workers in 2019.
References
- 1bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0019.htm
- 2bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/cdawork.htm
- 3bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/oshcdnew.htm
- 4bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb1060.htm
- 5bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb1150.htm
- 6bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb1210.htm
- 7bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/ostb1100.htm
- 8bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/allindustry.htm
- 9cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/
- 10ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7693795/
- 11ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5000463/
- 12ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6120894/
- 15ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7877831/
- 13eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52009DC0380
- 14osha.gov/penalties
- 16ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=7994
- 19ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Accidents_at_work__statistics
- 17naic.org/research/insurance_topics_index.htm
- 18www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1410024001