Data Bulletin: Heat Injuries and Illnesses among Construction Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harris, William ; Trueblood, Amber B. ; Dufoe, Derek ; Brooks, Raina D. ; West, Gavin H. ; Roelofs, Cora
• Description:
  This issue examines heat-related injuries and illnesses among construction workers. Construction workers are disproportionately affected by heat stress. Their jobs often require prolonged physical exertion in hot or humid environments, both indoors and out, where heat sources (e.g., high temperature and humidity, sun exposure, indoor heat sources) and personal protective equipment (PPE) can increase the risk of heat-related illnesses and injuries (HRI). Although construction workers are only 7% of the overall workforce, they account for more than one-third of occupational heat-related deaths. Heat-the leading cause of weather-related deaths globally-also increases the risk of injuries from safety hazards such as working at heights, and it can trigger or worsen existing health conditions like asthma, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. Heat's impact is likely even higher given the well documented underreporting and undercounting of HRI's. New research also suggests that chronic underhydration contributes to the development of chronic diseases and premature mortality. With each of the past 10 years being the warmest ever recorded, HRI prevention remains critical for construction workers and other occupations impacted by heat. This issue examines heat-related illnesses and injuries among construction workers using multiple data sources. Fatal injury data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and CPWR's Fatality Map. Nonfatal injury data come from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and OSHA's Severe Injury database. SOII data shows nonfatal injuries that resulted in days away from work (DAFW) among private industry workers and are shown in two-year periods due to the data changing to biennial estimates in 2021. Rates per 100,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) were calculated using Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates in chart 1, chart 4, chart 5, chart 6, and chart 10. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Construction
  • Heat Stress Disorders
  • Hot Temperature
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Construction workers
  • Injuries
  • Fatalities
  • Heat exposure
  • Hot environments
  • Dehydration
  • Lost work days
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Heat stroke
• Series:
  CPWR - Center for Construction Research and Training Publications
• Subseries:
  Data Bulletin
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Philadelphia Region OSHA
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071789
• Citation:
  CPWR Data Bulletin. Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2025 Aug; :1-7
• Contact Point Address:
  Data Center, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Email:
  datacenter@cpwr.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  2024/09/01
• End Date:
  2029/08/31
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/260013/cdc_260013_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 838.32 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5263f95c4b14599e4ef66cc388903e92e6ba35dda242123746328dc23ffd25fd9e29b4231cce5496f9c34b97823a914467ae2c72d4db24fd8be788a8c3943466