Construction is the industry that causes the most deaths in the United States every year, coming in with nearly 20 percent of all work-related deaths. However, it’s important to look at how it stacks up against other industries to see just how much more dangerous it can be.
The data from 2012 is very telling, indicating that 775 people died in the construction industry that year. Right below that was transportation and warehousing, which came in with 677 deaths.
It does seem natural that this industry would be ranked highly, as there are many motor vehicle accidents every day, all of which are a threat to the transportation industry. At the same time, it also shows just how dangerous construction can be in Ohio, if it can even outpace transportation and its inherent dangers.
Third on the list is Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing; this is all lumped together for the sake of the statistics. Still, even with all four together, only 475 people passed away. Fourth on the list is Mining, Oil and Gas, and Quarrying. In this industry, there were 177 deaths.
It is worth noting that the number of employees does make a difference in the amount of deaths, as more employees means the risk is higher. There were 5,711,000 employees in construction, whereas there were only 4,415,000 in transportation and warehousing, 257,216 in agriculture and the like, and 796,667 in mining and the like.
Have you been injured in a construction accident? If you have, you need to know what rights you might have to workers’ compensation to help you through this time.
Source: EHS Today, “Fatal Four: Safety in the Construction Industry [Infographic],” Sandy Smith, accessed June 19, 2015