Every day in American workplaces, the simple act of a single misstep claims a life, a tragedy starkly highlighted by the sobering reality that in 2022 alone, falls to a lower level were the second-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries, accounting for 1,056 fatalities out of 5,486 total in the private industry sector.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, falls to a lower level were the second-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the private industry sector, accounting for 1,056 fatalities out of 5,486 total private industry fatalities
- From 2011 to 2022, the fatal fall injury rate for construction workers averaged 13.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers annually
- In 2021, falls accounted for 33% of all worker fatalities in the construction industry, totaling 384 deaths
- In 2022, 1,056 workers died from falls to lower level in private industry, the most ever recorded
- Construction accounted for 364 fall fatalities in 2022, 34% of sector total
- From 2011-2021, 6,000 construction workers died from falls, averaging 545 per year
- In 2022, 805,000 private industry workers suffered nonfatal falls
- Falls caused 267,290 days-away-from-work cases in 2022, 27% of total
- Construction nonfatal fall rate was 31.5 per 10,000 workers in 2022
- In 2022, falls cost U.S. businesses $17 billion in direct workers' comp
- Fall injuries average $30,000 per hospital claim
- OSHA fines for fall violations averaged $15,625 per serious violation in 2022
- In construction, lack of training causes 35% of falls
- Unprotected sides/edges lead to 39% of construction fall fatalities
- Improper ladder use accounts for 81% of ladder fall incidents
Workplace falls are a leading cause of death in industries like construction.
Causes and Risk Factors
- In construction, lack of training causes 35% of falls
- Unprotected sides/edges lead to 39% of construction fall fatalities
- Improper ladder use accounts for 81% of ladder fall incidents
- Scaffolds collapse due to poor assembly in 24% of cases 2011-2018
- Wet/slippery surfaces cause 44% of same-level falls
- Inadequate fall protection involved in 90% of roof fall deaths
- Human factors like fatigue contribute to 30% of fall incidents
- Defective equipment causes 15% of scaffold incidents
- Cluttered walkways lead to 22% of trips in warehouses
- In residential construction, 52% of falls from unprotected openings
- Alcohol impairment factors in 10% of workplace fall deaths
- Improper scaffold footing/planking in 25% of collapses
- Uneven surfaces cause 18% of same-level falls in construction
- Lack of handrails on stairs contributes to 31% of stair falls
- Overreaching from ladders causes 27% of ladder incidents
- Wind/gusts implicated in 8% of roof falls
- Poorly maintained walking surfaces in 35% of slip injuries
- Inexperienced workers have 2x fall risk due to training gaps
- Forklift dock plates misaligned cause 12% of loading falls
- Ice accumulation leads to 20% of outdoor fall injuries winter
- Harness misuse like improper tie-off in 40% of PFAS failures
- Carrying loads obstructs vision in 28% of trip falls
- Electrical hazards combine with falls in 5% of cases
- Rushed work pace factors in 25% of scaffold incidents
- Loose materials on scaffolds cause 14% of falls
- In construction, 67% of falls from roofs lack protection
- Transition missteps at doors cause 15% of indoor slips
Causes and Risk Factors Interpretation
These grim statistics suggest that gravity's perfect record remains unchallenged because we keep handing it the same tired playbook of predictable mistakes.
Costs and Prevention
- In 2022, falls cost U.S. businesses $17 billion in direct workers' comp
- Fall injuries average $30,000 per hospital claim
- OSHA fines for fall violations averaged $15,625 per serious violation in 2022
- Proper fall protection could prevent 75% of construction fall deaths
- Training reduces fall risks by 60% in construction firms
- Guardrails cost $75 per linear foot but save $1.2M per prevented fatality
- Slip-resistant shoes reduce falls by 50% in food service
- From 2011-2020, falls cost $70 billion in medical and lost productivity
- Harness systems prevent 90% of scaffold falls, per OSHA studies
- Floor mats reduce slip injuries by 40%, costing $20/sq ft installed
- Ladder safety training lowers incidents by 71%
- Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) compliance saves $2.5M per fatality avoided
- Anti-slip coatings cost $5/sq m but cut claims by 67%
- Warning signs reduce same-level falls by 20% at $10/sign
- Roof edge protection systems ROI is 10:1 over 5 years
- Housekeeping programs cut slip risks by 55%
- Fall injury lost workdays cost $11 billion annually
- Retractable lifelines extend reach 50 ft for $500/unit, preventing falls
- Bilingual training reduces Hispanic fall rates by 45%
- Self-retracting lanyards used correctly stop falls in <2 ft
- Lighting improvements reduce falls by 30% at $50/fixture
- Scaffold training certification lowers incidents 52%
- Emergency response plans for falls save 20% medical costs
- Hole covers withstand 2x intended load, costing $100 each
- Wearable fall detection devices alert in 1 sec, $200/unit
- Regular equipment inspections prevent 40% of ladder failures
- Net systems for falls cost $15/sq m, catch 100% within area
Costs and Prevention Interpretation
These statistics prove that gravity is a ruthless debt collector for companies, and the only things that can bargain with it are training, equipment, and the basic human decency to put up a guardrail.
Fatalities
- In 2022, 1,056 workers died from falls to lower level in private industry, the most ever recorded
- Construction accounted for 364 fall fatalities in 2022, 34% of sector total
- From 2011-2021, 6,000 construction workers died from falls, averaging 545 per year
- Roof falls killed 316 workers in 2022, up from 279 in 2021
- Ladder-related fall deaths totaled 113 in private industry in 2022
- Scaffolds caused 51 fall fatalities in 2022
- In 2022, 88 fall deaths occurred in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting
- Older construction workers (45-54) had 152 fall deaths in 2021
- From 1980-2022, over 15,000 construction workers died from falls
- Unprotected edges led to 42% of leading-edge fall deaths in residential construction 2011-2016
- In 2020, 210 fall fatalities among Hispanic construction workers
- Forklift-related falls caused 32 deaths in 2022
- From 2016-2022, 2,200 fall deaths in construction
- Roofers suffered 101 fall fatalities in 2022
- Same-level falls killed 185 workers in 2022, often slips/trips
- Electrical power-line workers had 25 fall deaths in 2021
- In 2022, 44 fall fatalities from scaffolds in construction
- Painters, construction and maintenance, had 52 fall deaths in 2022
- From 2011-2020, 1,200 fall deaths from ladders in construction
- Operating engineers had 48 fall fatalities in 2022
- In 2021, 384 construction fall deaths, 1 per workday
- Tree trimmers had 28 fall deaths in 2022
- From 2003-2022, fall fatalities tripled in construction from roofs
- 142 fall deaths in transportation/warehousing in 2022
- Carpenters experienced 67 fall fatalities in 2022
- In 2022, 1 in 5 construction fatalities was a fall
- Sheet metal workers had 23 fall deaths in 2021
- Fall deaths among self-employed construction workers were 112 in 2022
Fatalities Interpretation
The grim and relentless climb in workplace fall deaths, especially in construction, is less a statistical anomaly and more a tragic indictment of our continued failure to protect those who literally build our world from the ground up.
Incidence Rates
- In 2022, falls to a lower level were the second-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the private industry sector, accounting for 1,056 fatalities out of 5,486 total private industry fatalities
- From 2011 to 2022, the fatal fall injury rate for construction workers averaged 13.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers annually
- In 2021, falls accounted for 33% of all worker fatalities in the construction industry, totaling 384 deaths
- The construction sector had a fatal fall rate of 15.6 per 100,000 workers in 2022, higher than the all-industry average of 3.7
- In private industry, fall-related fatalities increased by 11% from 2021 to 2022, from 951 to 1,056
- Roofers experienced 52.3 fatal falls per 100,000 workers in 2022, the highest among all occupations
- Scaffolding collapses contributed to 4.8% of construction fall fatalities between 2011-2018
- In 2020, falls caused 805 private industry fatalities, representing 19% of all fatal work injuries
- Structural iron and steel workers had a fall fatality rate of 28.1 per 100,000 in 2022
- From 2016-2022, average annual fall fatalities in construction were 391
- In 2022, falls from roofs caused 316 fatalities in private industry
- Ladder falls accounted for 13% of construction fall incidents from 2011-2020
- The rate of fall fatalities for older workers (55+) was 5.2 per 100,000 in 2022, versus 3.4 for younger workers
- In agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, falls caused 17% of fatalities in 2022, totaling 88 deaths
- Fall injury rates in manufacturing were 1.2 per 10,000 workers in 2022
- From 1992-2022, fall fatalities increased by 96% industry-wide
- In transportation and warehousing, falls to lower level caused 142 fatalities in 2022
- Hispanic or Latino workers had a fall fatality rate 20% higher than non-Hispanic whites in 2021
- Falls from scaffolds caused 51 fatalities in 2022
- In 2019, falls accounted for 37% of construction fatalities
- Fall rates in residential construction were 4.5 times higher than commercial in 2018
- Private industry fall fatalities rose from 600 in 2010 to 1,056 in 2022
- In 2022, 38% of fall fatalities occurred in construction and extraction occupations
- Fall incident rate for small construction firms (<20 workers) was 3.2 per 100 workers in 2021
- From 2015-2019, falls caused 34,000 nonfatal injuries requiring days away from work annually
- In oil and gas extraction, fall rates were 2.8 per 10,000 workers in 2022
- Fall fatalities among women increased 50% from 2011-2021
- In 2022, falls same level caused 185 fatalities
- Construction fall rates peaked at 16.7 per 100,000 in 2020
- Interstate truck drivers had 1.1 fall fatalities per 100,000 in 2022
Incidence Rates Interpretation
While fall protection is tragically considered an optional accessory in too many workplaces, these grim statistics prove gravity remains undefeated and lethally unforgiving on the job.
Nonfatal Injuries
- In 2022, 805,000 private industry workers suffered nonfatal falls
- Falls caused 267,290 days-away-from-work cases in 2022, 27% of total
- Construction nonfatal fall rate was 31.5 per 10,000 workers in 2022
- Same-level falls led to 180,430 injury cases in 2022
- From 2011-2021, falls caused over 5 million nonfatal injuries
- Nursing assistants had 24,000 fall injuries in 2022
- Ladder falls resulted in 81,000 emergency visits annually 2011-2013
- In manufacturing, 47,090 fall injuries occurred in 2022
- Retail trade saw 89,500 same-level fall injuries in 2022
- Construction falls led to median 8 days away from work in 2022
- Healthcare falls caused 152,460 cases in 2022
- Slips/trips on same level accounted for 65% of fall injuries in 2022
- From 2014-2022, 1.2 million fall injuries in construction
- Janitors/cleaners had 45,200 fall injuries in 2022
- Warehouse workers reported 28,000 fall injuries in 2022
- Women had 55% of same-level fall injuries in 2022
- Heavy truck drivers suffered 12,500 fall injuries in 2022
- In 2022, falls caused 33% of injury/illness cases with days away
- Stocking/loading shelves led to 22% of retail fall injuries
- Older workers (65+) had fall injury rate 2.5x higher in 2021
- From scaffolds, 4,500 nonfatal falls annually 2011-2016
- Laborers/construction had 35,000 fall injuries in 2022
- Ice/snow contributed to 15% of winter fall injuries
- Food service workers had 18,900 fall injuries in 2022
- Median days away for ladder falls was 12 in 2022
- In transportation, 42,600 fall injuries occurred in 2022
- Falls from height caused 27,000 construction injuries annually 2016-2020
- Maintenance workers reported 19,500 fall injuries in 2022
- Wet floors caused 25% of same-level slips in healthcare
Nonfatal Injuries Interpretation
This staggering data paints a brutally clear picture: the modern workplace is an obstacle course where the most common hazard isn't heavy machinery, but the very floor we stand on, claiming a worker every single minute.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 2CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 3OSHAosha.govVisit source
- Reference 4CPWRcpwr.comVisit source
- Reference 5STATSstats.bls.govVisit source
- Reference 6NSCnsc.orgVisit source
- Reference 7INJURYFACTSinjuryfacts.nsc.orgVisit source
- Reference 8ENERGYenergy.govVisit source
- Reference 9NSCA-LIFTnsca-lift.orgVisit source
- Reference 10WEATHERweather.govVisit source
- Reference 11ROOFINGCONTRACTORroofingcontractor.comVisit source