The Fatal Four Accidents that Cause Most Construction Site Deaths
If you work in the construction industry, no one has to tell you it’s a dangerous occupation—in fact, the most deadly job in the country, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Statistics gathered by OSHA show that nearly 1,000 construction workers lost their lives in work-related accidents in 2015, and that about two of every three deaths were caused by four different types of accidents—what industry officials refer to as the “fatal four.”
Falls from Heights
Almost every construction job requires that you work at some elevation above the ground, whether it’s a single family home or a skyscraper. More than one of every three deaths in 2015 stemmed from a fall from a significant height. Statistics show a variety of causes, including:
- Failure to construct, maintain or assemble a scaffold
- Improper use of ladders, buckets, cranes or other equipment
- Lack of appropriate guard rails or barriers, or poorly constructed/maintained safety barriers
Electrocution
Nearly ten percent (8.6%) of those killed died when they came into contact with live electrical current, either in the form of loose wiring or by making contact with an overhead power line.
Falling Objects
Likewise, about ten percent of the deaths in 2015 resulted when construction workers were struck by falling objects, from building materials and tools to jobsite debris or heavy equipment. OSHA officials say most could have been avoided with the use of appropriate barriers.
Caught-Between Accidents
According to OSHA, 66 construction workers died in 2015 when they were crushed between heavy equipment, building materials and other construction site structures.
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