Struck-by Incidents (Construction) Stats and Facts

FACTS

1. The most dangerous type of work place for struck-by fatalities involving construction workers are those road construction job sites.  On a road construction work zone, those workers facing the highest risk of death on the job are construction crossing guards and paving/surfacing equipment operators.
2. There are many struck-by hazards on every construction site that can severely injure or kill workers on any given day. Common struck-by hazards include moving equipment, falling objects, and flying debris.
3. The risk of non-fatal struck-by injuries in construction is nearly double the risk of all industries combined.
4. Highway maintenance workers had the highest rate of struck-by fatalities, while helpers had the highest rate of non-fatal struck-by injuries.
5. On a construction site, workers suffer the most nonfatal struck-by injuries in accidents involving solid building materials, powered and non-powered hand tools, and scrap/waste/ debris. Within the trades and specialties, the construction workers most likely to suffer nonfatal struck-by injuries are: (1) helpers; (2) sheet metal workers; (3) heating and air conditioning mechanics; and (4) iron workers.

STATS

• OSHA has determined that there are four main safety hazards, excluding transportation incidents, that account for a majority of all construction worker deaths each year on the jobsite. Dubbed the “Fatal Four” by  OSHA, they include falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects, and getting caught in or between hazards. In 2016, 63.7% of all fatalities at construction sites were from one of OSHA’s Fatal Four.
• Struck-by injuries occur when a worker comes into forcible contact with a flying, falling, swinging or rolling object. Of the Fatal Four hazards, struck-by hazards are the second highest cause of fatalities among construction workers.
• According to OSHA, struck-by injuries accounted for 93 construction worker deaths in 2016, which is 9.4% of the 991 fatalities caused by construction site hazards. This is due to the numerous hazards that can create struck-by injuries.
• According to the CDC, most fatal struck-by injuries involve motor vehicle accidents.
• According to the CDC, about half (50%) involve a pedestrian-vehicle incident; 13% are roadway incidents involving a motorized vehicle; and 10% involve an object or equipment.
• Between 2010 and 2015, the number of deaths resulting from workers being struck by an object, piece of equipment or vehicle rose 34 percent to 162.
• From 2011 to 2015, 804 construction workers died from struck-by injuries, more than any other major industry; 52 percent were struck by an object or equipment, and the rest were struck by a vehicle.