Fatal accidents in the construction industry have not improved over the past decade, “raising important questions about the effectiveness of OSHA and what it would take to save more lives,” according to an analysis by Construction Dive.
Workers died at the same rate—10 out of every 100,000 workers—between 2011 and 2020, “highlighting weak enforcement, meager inspections and fines, and the opioid epidemic,” according to Construction Dive.
Three in five workers who died on the job fell victim to the same causes, known as the Fatal Four—falls, electrocutions, “struck-bys,” and “caught-in/betweens.” The latter two cover a range of hazards such as when a vehicle, piece of machinery, or material strikes or traps a worker.
OSHA says it focuses much effort on education around the Fatal Four, but the share of workers dying from those well-known hazards remained about the same from 2011 to 2020 while the workforce grew 31%. To become a “feared enforcer,” OSHA would need to increase inspections exponentially, enforce fines more strictly, wield more enforcement tools, and expand preventative consultations, according to safety experts.
The agency may lack money and staff to significantly reduce construction deaths. With last year’s staff levels, it would have taken inspectors 236 years to visit every workplace in the U.S.
Related Stories
Building Team Awards | May 19, 2016
NYC subway station lights the way for 300,000 riders a day
Fulton Center, which handles 85% of the riders coming to Lower Manhattan, is like no other station in the city’s vast underground transit web—and that’s a good thing.
Market Data | May 17, 2016
Modest growth for AIA’s Architecture Billings Index in April
The American Institute of Architects reported the April ABI score was 50.6, down from the mark of 51.9 in the previous month. This score still reflects an increase in design services.
Retail Centers | May 10, 2016
5 factors guiding restaurant design
Restaurants are more than just places to eat. They are comprising town centers and playing into the future of brick-and-mortar retail.
AEC Tech | May 9, 2016
Is the nation’s grand tech boom really an innovation funk?
Despite popular belief, the country is not in a great age of technological and digital innovation, at least when compared to the last great innovation era (1870-1970).
Big Data | May 5, 2016
Demand for data integration technologies for buildings is expected to soar over the next decade
A Navigant Research report takes a deeper dive to examine where demand will be strongest by region and building type.
Urban Planning | May 4, 2016
Brookings report details how different industries innovate
In the new report, “How Firms Learn: Industry Specific Strategies for Urban Economies,” Brookings' Scott Andes examines how manufacturing and software services firms develop new products, processes, and ideas.
Contractors | May 3, 2016
ABC: Nonresidential construction spending slips in March
Spending is up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Half of the 16 nonresidential construction subsectors experienced monthly spending growth last month, while 12 are up on a year-ago basis.
Market Data | Apr 29, 2016
ABC: Quarterly GDP growth slowest in two years
Bureau of Economic Analysis data indicates that the U.S. output is barely growing and that nonresidential investment is down.
Contractors | Apr 29, 2016
OSHA issues advisory to protect workers from Zika virus
Construction industry workers considered at high risk.
