The Construction industry comes with potential hazards, regardless of the type or location of construction under consideration. This is why safety training to prevent work-related injuries on construction sites is so vital. Many of these accidents are totally preventable when proper safety measures are exercised. In order to avoid sustaining a serious injury at work, construction workers should receive regular safety training and refresher training.
With all the modern technology, modes of training, and other resources available in today’s accidents in construction sites, work-related injuries should be on the decline. Instead, they remain at inordinately high levels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 150,000 construction site injuries occur every year.
The 7 Top Causes of Work-Related Injuries on Construction Sites are:
- Falls
- Struck-by Accidents
- Electrocution
- Machinery Accidents
- Hazardous Noise Levels
- Explosions or Burns
- Heat Stress
1. Construction Injury is Falls
Falls are the number one cause of construction fatalities on construction sites. Construction deaths reached over 1,100 in 2019, the highest level since 2011. Fatal falls to a lower-level account for 36% of all construction fatalities in 2019, a 25% increase from 2018.
2. Construction Injury is Struck-By Accidents
Struck-by accidents are the second leading cause of death among construction workers and the leading cause of non-fatal construction site injuries. The four most common struck-by hazards are being struck by a flying, falling, swinging, or rolling object. This includes being struck by or caught under/between falling debris or cave-ins.
- Workers should always be wearing reflective and bright safety apparel
- Drivers should be constantly checking blind spots while backing vehicles
- Daily safety huddles to discuss hazard areas for workers to avoid each day
- Backup cameras, alarms, and other technology can improve driver visibility
With everyone working together on job sites, back-over accidents can be greatly reduced or eliminated, but it requires constant awareness. Revisiting back over accident prevention safety training periodically can keep these tactics fresh in the mind of all workers.
3. Construction Injury is Electrocution
Construction workers account for a large portion of electrical work-related injuries every year. In 2015, for example, 61% of all US workplace electrocutions occurred in construction. According to the CDC, construction workers are approximately four times more likely to be electrocuted than workers in all other industries combined. Perhaps this is because violations regarding electrical safety issues are among the top ten most frequently cited OSHA violations on construction sites.
4. Construction Injury is Machinery Accidents
While vastly improving production on construction sites, machinery accidents can result in terrible injuries. This includes vehicle accidents as well as injuries from using or getting in the way of construction equipment and machines. Crush incidents, run-over incidents, or other machinery accidents are among the top causes of work-related injuries in the construction industry. Machine safety is a primary area of training to increase worker safety.
5. Construction Injury is Hazardous Noise Levels
Three out of four construction workers experience hazardous noise levels of greater than 85 decibels on the job site. A NIOSH study examining hearing loss found that construction workers have higher levels of hearing loss than workers in most other industries. This is likely because about one out of three construction workers that were regularly exposed to hazardous noise levels did not wear hearing protection.
6. Construction Injury is Explosions or Burns
Many potential causes for fire or explosions can be found on construction sites, including halogen lights, sparks from welding or electrical shorts, heaters, hot machinery, and cigarettes. Numerous volatile chemicals and flammable materials are used in the construction industry. All these factors create an environment that is a high risk for explosions or burn injuries.
7. Construction Injury is Heat Stress
Construction sites see more than one out of three work-related injuries and deaths from heat stress. Heat stress and heat-related illness pose severe risks to personal health, but they also increase the risks for other types of work-related injuries on construction sites, often causing dizziness, disorientation, or falls.
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How Professional Safety Training Can Help Reduce Work-Related Injuries
Creating a safe work environment to reduce work-related injuries involves comprehensive safety training and refresher training. Entrusting this task to a professional safety training firm like SafetyPro Resources, LLC ensures that your workers receive the most thorough, up-to-date safety training that meets and/or exceeds OSHA regulations.
Your construction company will meet compliance regulations while increasing safety and reducing the risks of your workers incurring an injury at work. This results in greater worker satisfaction, reduced costs and losses from accidents and injuries, and higher productivity. Safety Pro Resources, LLC offers many different specialty safety courses, as well as general OSHA-related courses.
Construction sites will remain high-risk environments due to the nature of the work and the large machines required. However, human error is the most common factor among all work-related injuries in construction. Professional safety training can help to minimize those errors and keep your workers self-aware and proactive on the construction site.
Contact Safety Pro Resources, LLC and speak with one of our specialists about safety training for your construction company.
