Preventing falls in construction: a collaborative effort to launch a national campaign

Details

• Personal Author:
  Branche CM
• Description:
  Falls kill. They are a persistent hazard found in all occupational settings. And, they are the leading cause of construction deaths, accounting for one-third of on-the-job injury deaths in the industry. Each year in the United States, more than 200 construction workers are killed and over 10,000 are seriously injured by falls. Injuries and fatalities from falls represent a major and preventable public health problem. For occupational falls, construction workers face disproportionate risks. Construction- building new structures, renovating and altering existing ones, maintaining and repairing others-whether they are houses, roads, or workplaces, requires both skilled workers and responsible employers. In 2010, there were 9.1 million construction workers (including self-employed workers) in the United States, accounting for 7% of the national workforce. Of the 4,547 U.S. workers who died on the job that year, however, 17% (n=780, including both public and private sectors) were construction workers-more than any other single industry sector and nearly one out of every five work-related deaths. The number of fatal injuries in construction increased about 35% from 1992 to 2006, and then dropped 40% by 2010, reflecting fluctuations in the overall construction employment trend during this time period. Construction is a large, dynamic, and complex industry sector valued at around $807.1 billion. Construction worksites are organizationally complex multi-employer sites and present numerous health and safety challenges. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Morbidity Mortality Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Exposure-levels Fall-protection Injuries Morbidity-rates Mortality-rates Risk-factors Traumatic-injuries Work-areas Work-environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1066-5757
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3-5
• Volume:
  23
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042616
• Citation:
  Wood Des Focus 2013 Mar; 23(1):3-5
• Email:
  cbranche@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Wood Design Focus
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2cc8f221055fac91835a8328818a7c2d055f003afc5186c28c70468e3b3745d3328eca5de18a61b402fbadbd8192b1be3885da223ea5530253fdec69441a7656
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194785/cdc_194785_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 229.96 KB ]