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Is construction work as dangerous as it seems?

On Behalf of | Nov 5, 2015 | Wrongful Death

Construction is a dangerous industry to be part of, and one mistake can change lives in an instant. Those working in construction know that each day is kept safe only by those following the rules and safety regulations required by law. If one misstep is made, it could cost a person his or her life. Negligence can’t be allowed, and when it takes place, it’s important for families to make claims with their attorneys, so they can be compensated appropriately.

A 2009 statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the construction industry has a fatal occupational injury rate that is nearly three times higher than any other job in the United States. That means that for every 100,000 private construction workers in the United States, 9.7 construction workers are killed, whereas only 3.3 would be killed in other occupations.

Construction, both private and non-private, is dangerous because of the materials and machinery used. Roofers, for instance, have the highest rate of fatalities of all construction workers with a total of 34.7 deaths per 100,000. Next, iron and steel workers were in line with the most deaths at 30.3 per 100,000. Even with these high numbers, it’s important to know that the number of fatalities has actually dropped over the years. Construction fatalities, for instance, dropped from 975 in 2008 to 816 in 2009.

Although some types of construction are becoming safer, it’s also important to see that other injuries are increasing. Electricians saw their fatal injuries rise from 5 to 7 percent on the whole, for instance. That’s not the only risk to construction workers though, as construction workers made up close to half of the deaths associated with falls in the private industry as a whole.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fatal Injuries in Construction,” accessed Nov. 05, 2015