What are the Best Construction Safety Tips for Fatal Injury Causes?

Over 5,000 workers died from work injuries in the United States in 2021. Construction had the highest number of deaths after transportation and materials moving with nearly 1,000 fatalities or 20% of total work fatalities. Thankfully each of these “Fatal Four” causes of construction deaths – falls, struck-by, electrocution, caught-in/caught-between – can be prevented with these tips. Lack of fall protection is the biggest culprit when it comes to the cause of fatal injuries in the construction workplace.

Fatal Four Causes of Construction Deaths

Falls:

Use fall protection. Falls accounted for 37% of construction worker fatalities in 2021. OSHA requires fall protection whenever a construction worker is working 6 feet above ground.

Caught-in-between:

Securely block off heavy equipment operating areas and designate workers who will be working near moving vehicles. Establish heavy equipment use and traffic control plans to protect employees from being caught-in-between vehicles and equipment. Designate well-marked pedestrian walkways.

OSHA’s construction safety standards for excavations and trenches can help prevent workers from being caught-in between collapsed trenches.

Struck-by:

Be aware of your surroundings. Understand the greatest struck-by risk for your job site and ensure measures are in place to protect employees.

Electrocutions:

Ground or double-insulate all electrical equipment. Follow OSHA electrical standards to prevent electrocutions from exposed wiring, working near water or wet conditions near outlets, overhead power lines, energized parts, defective equipment, and even lightning strikes.

These hazards accounted for roughly 8% of construction worker deaths.

A recent safety article advocated that electrical safety should be top job priority when working on any construction site.

Safety Training and Best Practices for Fatal Injury Causes

Caught-in or between materials or equipment accounted for close to then percent of construction deaths in 2022. Hazards included being caught-in rolling or moving equipment, pulled into unguarded machinery, or caught between equipment and a stationary object.

Wear proper harnesses and follow OSHA safety standards for working in trenches to protect workers from being caught-in or between collapsing materials.

Ensure equipment guarding measures are followed to prevent caught-in accidents and struck-by incidents with moving parts on equipment and machines.

Struck-by objects accounted for another 8% of deaths in construction. Rigging failures, loose materials, equipment failure, and vehicle strikes are just some of the causes.

Review safe operating procedures for equipment before use, following lockout/tagout standards during maintenance, and use caution near overhead loads. Provide training and safe operating procedures for forklifts and other vehicle operations on your job site.

Fall protection and precautions should be used anytime workers are on elevated platforms or surfaces. Falls were responsible for the highest number of deaths, 40%, in construction in 2022. Falls can be prevented by following OSHA fall protection standards of using guardrails, safety nets, fall restraint systems and personal fall arrest systems.