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
| Dec 11, 2013
Wyndham unveils hotel prototype for its Hawthorn Suites chain
The extended-stay hotel prototype reduces development costs by 46% for franchisees and enhances the overall guest experience.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 10, 2013
Modular Pedia-Pod: Sustainability in healthcare construction [slideshow]
Greenbuild 2013 in Philadelphia was the site of a unique display—Pedia-Pod, a modular pediatric treatment room designed and built by NRB, in collaboration with the editors of Building Design+Construction, SGC Horizon LLC, and their team of medical design consultants.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.
| Dec 9, 2013
ULI: Real estate market in 2014 will be 'recovering from the recovery'
The U.S. commercial real estate market is gradually “recovering from the recovery” and will “gain momentum” in 2014, according to ULI CEO Patrick L. Phillips.
| Dec 9, 2013
What is life cycle cost optioneering?
Life cycle cost optioneering is a way of assessing alternative design options, analyzing their long-term capital and operational costs to identify those with the lowest price tag, over the entire life cycle.
| Dec 6, 2013
French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]
La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.
| Dec 5, 2013
Exclusive BD+C survey shows reaction to Sandy Hook tragedy
More than 60% of AEC professionals surveyed by BD+C said their firms experienced heightened interest in security measures from school districts they worked with.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Dec 3, 2013
‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor
Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.
