Trends in fatal occupational falls in the U.S. construction industry, 1992-2008.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dong S
• Description:
  Falls are the leading cause of death in the U.S. construction industry, accounting for one-third of all construction fatal injuries. In recent years, the overall death rate of construction workers has declined, but deaths from falls remain high. Objectives: This study examined the patterns and trends of fatal falls in construction, analyzed demographics and characteristics of fatal falls among construction workers, identified high-risk occupations and populations, and provided insight to improve fall protections and interventions. Methods: Two large national datasets, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and the Current Population Survey, were analyzed. Results: The number of deaths from falls among construction workers totaled 6,300 from 1992 to 2008. Rates of fatal falls varied among occupations in which ironworkers, roofers, and construction laborers ranked the highest. Fatal falls also accounted for nearly 40% of deaths among Hispanic workers compared with just 31% for non-Hispanic workers. Most deaths caused by falls occurred primarily with workers aged 25 to 54 years, but were more prevalent among those youngest and oldest. In addition, most fatal falls among construction workers were found to be caused by falls to a lower level. Conclusions: Older workers, young workers, and especially young Hispanic workers have a higher risk of work-related falls than other construction workers on average. Prevention strategies to reduce fall injuries and fatalities should focus on these populations.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Environmental Exposure Environmental Pollution Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-potential Accident-prevention Accident-statistics Accidents Age-factors Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Equipment-design Fall-protection Health-protection Injuries Injury-prevention Mortality-rates Protective-equipment Protective-measures Racial-factors Risk-analysis Risk-factors Safety-education Safety-engineering Safety-measures Safety-practices Safety-programs Safety-research Statistical-analysis Training Traumatic-injuries Work-analysis Workplace-studies

  More +
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement; Construction
• Genre:
  Abstract
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  79
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040013
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Fall Prevention and Protection, May 19-20, 2010, Morgantown, WV. Morgantown, WV: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2010 May; :79
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Fall Prevention and Protection, May 18-20, 2010, Morgantown, WV
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b0e4240dce323d1395b8d917ab17ea559a2eeaead8dfb297fcfe31e75a228a5a01b9af2f4204c5cadc288e78cf6e013284a8af56b226d2d653a1d2419a83b694
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/181607/cdc_181607_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 870.21 KB ]