Photo: John Newquist/eClosh
Silver Spring, MD — The number and rate of deaths among building construction workers increased over a recent 13-year period, according to a recent data bulletin published by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.
The report, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CPWR, shows that building construction fatalities climbed 54.9% from 2012 (142) to 2024 (220). Meanwhile, the fatality rate in the subsector increased to 11.9 per 100,000 workers from 11.4, or 4.4%.
Additional data shows that:
- Specialty trade contractors suffered 658 and 608 deaths in 2023 and 2024, respectively, up from 473 in 2012 and 495 in 2013. The fatality rate for the subsector, however, decreased to 11.7 per 100,000 workers in 2024 from 13.4 in 2012 and 2013.
- The fatality rate for “heavy and civil engineering” experienced a steep decline to 16.1 per 100,000 workers in 2024 from 25 in 2012. Over that same period, the number of deaths decreased to 186 from 217.
The nonfatal injury rate for building construction was 81.1 per 100,000 workers in 2023-2024. Although that’s up from 71.7 from 2021-2022, it’s still a sharp drop from 119.7 in 2011-2012.
The specialty trade contractor nonfatal injury rate decreased to 96.5 in 2023-2024 from 142.7 in 2011-2012. The heavy and civil engineering nonfatal injury rate also experienced a decline to 60 per 100,000 workers in 2023-2024 from 113 in 2011-2012.
“It is essential to examine injury trends across subsectors to identify differences that could be used to guide tailored intervention and prevention efforts,” the report states.
McCraren Compliance offers comprehensive safety training to help prevent accidents. Visit our class calendar to see how our training and consulting services can enhance your safety efforts.
Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication