CONSTRUCTION FATALITIES 2001 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
Number of fatalities Fatal work injury counts, 1992-2001 6,800 6,600 6,632 6,400 6,200 6,000 6,217 6,331 6,275 6,202 6,238 6,055 6,054 5,920 5,900 5,800 5,600 5,400 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year Total Fatalities per Year SOURCE: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2000
Number 1,400 Fatal work injury counts in the private construction industry, 1992-2001 1,200 1,028 1,055 1,047 1,107 1,174 1,191 1,155 1,225 1,000 919 932 800 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year Total Private Construction Fatalities per Year
Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries by industry division, 2001 Construction Transportation Services Agriculture Government Manufacturing Retail trade Wholesale trade Mining Finance 1,225 911 767 740 630 599 537 220 170 1.9 86 1.0 3.1 3.2 2.4 4.3 11.2 13.3 22.8 30.0 2000 1000 0 10 20 30 Number of fatalities Fatality rate (per 100,000 employed) NOTE: Data exclude fatalities resulting from September 11 terrorist attacks. SOURCE: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2001. Rate = (Fatal work injuries/employment) x 100,000 workers. Employment data extracted from the 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS). The fatality rates were calculated using employment as the denominator; employment-based rates measure the risk for those employed during a given period of time, regardless of exposure hours.
Occupations in the private construction industry with the highest number of fatalities, 2001 Construction laborers (Falls 27%) Carpenters (Falls 65%) Roofers (Falls 73%) Electricians (Electrocutions 56%) 71 78 101 335 Truck drivers (Highway transportation 46%) Structural metal workers (Falls 88%) Painters (Falls 55%) Mechanics & repairers (Contact with object 38%) Welders & Cutters (Falls 30% Operating engineers (Transportation incidents 44%) 46 43 38 34 33 32 Most frequent fatal event shown for each occupation 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 4 *Selected occupations had a minimum of 40 fatalities and 45,000 employed workers in 2001.. NOTE: Data exclude fatalities resulting from September 11 terrorist attacks. SOURCE: US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2001. Number of Fatalities
Distribution of fatalities in the construction industry and to all workers by event, 2001 Construction Industry All Workers Assaults and violent acts 4% Exposure to harmful substances or environments 16% Contact with objects and equipment 18% Fires and explosions 2% Transportation incidents 26% Falls 34% Fires and explosions 3% Exposure to harmful substances or environments 8% Assaults and violent acts 15% Falls 14% Contact with objects and equipment 16% Transportation incidents 44%
Distribution of falls to lower level by detailed event, 2001 Fall from floor, dock, or ground level (to lower level) 6% Other 17% Fall from roof 35% Fall from building girders 9% Fall from ladder 17% Fall from scaffolding, staging 17%
Fatalities in the private construction industry by location, 2001 Other location 18% Construction site, industrial place or premise 45% Road construction 5% Residential construction 10% Street or highway, excluding road construction 22%
Fatalities to construction workers and all workers by age, 2001 Percent 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 15 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65 and older Age group All workers Private construction workers
Fatalities to construction workers and all workers by race or ethnicity, 2001 Percent 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 White Black Hispanic Other Race or ethnicity All workers Private construction workers
Construction Laborers High number of fatalities - 349 in 2001 Fatality rate was 34 per 100,000 workers in 2001 Leading events - transportation incidents (33%), and falls (26%) Hispanic construction laborer fatalities have more than doubled since the Census began in 1992 from 50 to 120 in 2001
Carpenters 112 fatalities in 2001 Fatality rate in 2001 was 8 per 100,000 workers Leading event - falls (63%) 30% of fatalities are to Hispanic workers
Roofers 78 fatalities in 2001 Fatality rate in 2001 was 36 per 100,000 workers Leading events - falls (73%) 28% of fatalities to roofers were to Hispanic workers
Electricians 109 fatalities in 2001 Fatality rate in 2001 was 13 per 100,000 workers Leading event - electrocutions (51%)
Structural metal workers Highest fatality rate of occupations in construction industry with 58 fatalities per 100,000 workers Relatively small number of fatalities with 45 in 2001 Leading event - falls (89%)
For More Information: Access the BLS Internet site: http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm Send e-mail to: cfoistaff@bls.gov for fatalities oshstaff@bls.gov for non-fatal