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
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction employment shrinks in 319 of the nation's 336 largest metro areas in July, continuing months-long slide
Construction workers in communities across the country continued to suffer extreme job losses this July according to a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. That analysis found construction employment declined in 319 of the nation’s largest communities while only 11 areas saw increases and six saw no change in construction employment between July 2008 and July 2009.
| Aug 11, 2010
Green consultant guarantees LEED certification or your money back
With cities mandating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for public, and even private, buildings in growing numbers, an Atlanta-based sustainability consulting firm is hoping to ease anxieties over meeting those goals with the industry’s first Green Guaranteed.
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska, Turner most active in U.S. hotel construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Hotel Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Whiting-Turner among nation's largest university contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 University Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Suffolk breaks ground on colorful charter school in Boston
Suffolk Education has broken ground and began renovations and construction of a new $39.6 million facility to house the Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. The Suffolk team is renovating an existing, three-story mill building and warehouse in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts, and constructing a 20,000 square-foot addition.
| Aug 11, 2010
McCarthy, Skanska among nation's largest healthcare contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Healthcare Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants