Fatal work injuries in the U.S. rose 7% to a preliminary total of 5,190 in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of the total private industry fatalities in 2016, 22.2% were construction fatalities. Deadly injuries among construction trades workers increased 6%, or a total of 991 fatalities, in 2016.
The fatal injury rate for roofing workers increased from 39.7% to 48.6%. In 2016, four categories of accidents—falls, being struck by objects, electrocutions, and getting caught in or between objects—were responsible for 63.7% of all construction worker deaths.
Falls accounted for 38.7%; struck by an object accounted for 9.4%; electrocutions accounted for 8.3%; and caught in or between objects accounted for 7.3%.
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