In 2014, more than 4,600 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Among these fatal accidents, more than 20 percent (874) occurred on construction sites. For construction workers or those who own a construction company in San Bernardino, or anywhere else in California, understanding the most common types of construction accidents and the dangers they present is imperative.
Over the course of 2014, an average of 13 workers died in an on-the-job accident each day. Sadly, many involved workers who were employed in the construction industry, which highlights the dangers that many people in this line of work face every time they head to work. In fact, 17 percent of all fatal work injuries during the year involved contractors. When it comes to deadly construction accidents, OSHA reports that there were four primary causes in 2014, consisting of:
- Falls, which accounted for over 39 percent of all fatal construction accidents
- Being electrocuted (8.5 percent)
- Construction workers struck by objects (8.4 percent)
- Workers who were caught-in or caught-between (1.4 percent)
OSHA claims that if these four major causes were eliminated, the lives of over 500 construction workers would be saved in the United States each year. In fiscal year 2015, a number of OSHA standards were often cited and many of the top 10 were in the construction industry, including issues related to fall protection, scaffolding and ladders. However, workers in the construction industry should remember that there are other types of construction accidents which claim lives and result in serious injuries, such as those which involve machinery and exposure to toxic chemicals.
