Worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities
5,190 workers were killed on the job in 2016 (3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) on average, more than 99 a week or more than 14 deaths every day.
Construction’s “Fatal Four”
Out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2016 – 991 or 21.1% were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths that year were in construction. The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway collisions) in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught in-between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for more than half (63.7%) the , BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would SAVE 631 workers' lives in America every year.
1. Falls — 384 out of 991 total deaths in construction in 2016 (38.7%)
2. Struck by Object - 93 (9.4%)
3. Electrocutions - 82 (8.3%)
4. Caught in-between* - 72 (7.3%)
In more than four decades, OSHA and its state partners, coupled with the efforts of employers, safety and health professionals, unions and advocates, have had a dramatic effect on workplace safety. Worker deaths in America are down-on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 14 a day in 2016. Worker injuries and illnesses are down-from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.9 per 100 in 2016.
*This category includes construction workers killed when caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material.