An on-the-job injury can have a variety of short-term and long-term effects on a person. That’s particularly true for those who work in construction. Construction accidents can have debilitating long-term effects on workers, which is why workers’ compensation insurance benefits are crucial for recovery and a sense of dignity. The Great Falls, MT lawyers of Murphy Law Firm always stand with our clients in work injury cases because we know just how serious these incidents can be.
The statistics below on construction accidents paint a fascinating picture of the dangers in the construction industry. This should reveal why seeking attorney assistance after a work injury may be essential for you and your loved ones to get back on your feet.
Number of People Working in Construction
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than 7.2 million people work in the construction industry right now. In 2017, the majority of these construction workers were carpenters or construction laborers.
Number of Construction Injuries Each Year
The BLS estimates that there are 150,000 construction site accidents every year. Of those who are injured while at work on a construction site, works between the ages of 25 and 34 are the most likely to be injured.
High Risk of Injury for Construction Workers
Given the nature of construction work, those in the field run a higher risk of injury than people in other occupations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 1 in 10 construction workers are injured on the in the course of a year. Not all of these injuries will be significant, but that number paints a picture of the dangers at work.
Fatal Work Injury Statistics
There were 5,190 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2016, marking a trend in the increase of fatalities on the job over the last three years. Transportation accidents were the most common cause of fatal work injuries, resulting in 40 percent of all fatalities.
Focusing on the construction, the BLS logged 991 construction worker deaths in 2016. This was an increase from 2015’s fatality count (937). Of the 2016 construction fatalities we’ve noted, 631 involved specialty trade contractors, 182 affected those in building construction, and 159 deaths were linked to heavy and civil engineering construction.
High Risk of Fatalities Among Construction Workers
According to facts from Safety + Health, a person with a 45-year career working in construction has a 1 in 200 chance of dying while on the job. Given that number, it should be little surprise that construction accounts for just 4 percent of all American workers yet 21 percent of work fatalities in an average year.
Most Common Causes of Construction Fatalities
Fatal injuries can take many forms, but OSHA has identified the four most common causes of these fatalities. These are known as “the fatal four.”
In 2016, more than 64 percent of deaths in the construction industry were the result of these kinds of incidents:
- Falls – 384 fatalities (38.7 percent)
- Struck by Object – 93 fatalities (9.4 percent)
- Electrocutions – 82 fatalities (8.3 percent)
- Caught/Crushed Between Objects – 72 fatalities (7.3 percent)
Contact Our Construction Accident Lawyers
To learn more about construction accidents and how our law firm can help you with legal matters after an injury, be sure to contact an experienced construction accident lawyer. The team at Murphy Law Firm is here to help. You can reach our office by phone at (406) 452-2345.
Related to This
