Fatal Injuries Among Small Construction Establishments in the United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cain C ; Dong, Xiuwen S. ; Katz R ; Wang X
• Description:
  Background: The construction industry is predominantly comprised of small companies. More than 80% of payroll construction establishments have fewer than 10 employees. This study explored trends and patterns of fatal injuries among small construction establishments to provide insights into injury prevention and intervention. Methods: Two large national data sources between 1992 and 2016 were analyzed. Fatality numbers in construction were calculated using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, a data collection by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment data were obtained from the County Business Patterns, an annual series from the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical analyses were performed with SAS version 9.4. Results: Between 1992 and 2015, 7,235 (42%) construction deaths occurred in establishments with 1-10 employees. In 2015 alone, about 57% of construction deaths were among establishments with fewer than 20 employees; however, these establishments employed less than 38% of the wage-and-salary construction workforce. Moreover, fatalities caused by falls or electrocutions were disproportionately higher in small construction companies than in large ones. From 2011 to 2015, over 61% of fatal falls to a lower level and 47% of electrocution deaths were from construction establishments with 10 or fewer employees. (Results will be updated to cover 2016 data) Discussion: The findings show significant disparities in fatal injuries between small and large construction establishments. Considering that small companies are more likely to lack resources for injury intervention and less likely to be targeted by OSHA inspections, improved prevention strategies are needed to address workplace safety for small construction companies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Construction Industry Electric Injuries Mortality Occupational Health Safety Small Business
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Health And Safety Construction Industry Construction Workers Electrocutions Falls Fatalities Injuries Injury Prevention Mortality Data Small Businesses Surveillance

  More +
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062939
• Citation:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2018 Nov; :412984
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• 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:
  Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. APHA 146th Annual Meeting and Exposition, November 10-14, 2018, San Diego, California
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c41c42c8242fa24855f85c4ef92048f0a02fbefb76a13b198cb5f66d1c63ce097b7e04d770c26078a7c99ac9aeee288fbdf5fef8596bef491d0d1a1ac84dfc28
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226102/cdc_226102_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 301.22 KB ]