KEY FINDINGS

The injury rate in construction has declined steadily since 2003 but was still 29% higher than all industries combined in 2019. Chart 1

In 2019, 79,660 lost workday injuries were reported in construction, of which nearly one-third were due to contact with objects or equipment. Chart 2

The number of injuries in construction due to falls to a lower level increased 41% from 2011 to 2019, while the number of total nonfatal injuries increased about 8% during this period. Charts 2,4

In 2019, the injury rate among construction establishments with 11 to 49 employees was five times the rate for establishments with 1,000 or more employees. Chart 5

The injury rate in construction was highest among workers under age 25. Chart 9

THIS ISSUE

This issue examines nonfatal injuries in construction between 2003 and 2019, identifying trends by injury cause, establishment size, subsector, and demographics.

NEXT DATA BULLETIN

Fatal injury trends in the construction industry

Data Bulletin DECEMBER 2020W W W. C P W R . C O M

OVERVIEWConstruction workers are exposed to numerous worksite hazards. Despite continuous intervention efforts, work-related injuries and illnesses occur daily in this industry. This Data Bulletin examines the trends in employer-reported nonfatal injuries in construction from 2003 through 2019, using the latest data from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) , a data collection by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Due to changes in the injury and illness coding system in the SOII, injury type analyses span between 2011 and 2019. Since illnesses± account for less than 3% of nonfatal cases in construction, this report uses “injuries” as a broad category for both injuries and illnesses. Injury risk was measured by the number of injuries per 10,000 full-time workers (FTEs; assuming a full-time worker works 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). The Current Population Survey (CPS), another BLS data collection, was the source of denominators for injury rate estimates by age and race/ethnicity. This report analyzes nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work (i.e., severe injuries, or lost workday injuries) among private wage-and-salary workers in construction; self-employed and government workers are not included.

Nonfatal Injury Trends in the Construction Industry Samantha Brown, MPH, Raina D. Brooks, MPH, Xiuwen Sue Dong, DrPH*

* Correspondence to: Xiuwen Sue Dong, SDong@cpwr.com. Numbers in text and charts were calculated by the CPWR Data Center. BLS switched the industrial classification system from the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to 2017 NAICS in the 2019 SOII, but the construction industry was not much affected. ± Many work-related illnesses may have long latency periods, such as asbestosis or cancers. Thus, illnesses are potentially undercounted in the SOII data.

An infographic developed as part of the National Campaign to Prevent Struck-By Incidents.

DATA BULLETIN NONFATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W. C P W R . C O M

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In 2019, 79,660 nonfatal injuries were reported in the construction industry. The rate of injuries was 112.3 per 10,000 FTEs in 2019, 56.7% lower than the 2003 rate (259.4 per 10,000 FTEs; chart 1). Although the injury rate steadily declined in construction, it was consistently higher than all industries combined, and 29.2% higher in 2019. Construction injuries were also more severe, as they typically caused more missed workdays than injuries in all industries (supplemental chart S3).

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 20190

50

100

150

200

250

150.0

86.9

259.4

112.3

Rat

e p

er 1

0,00

0 FT

Es

AgricultureMining

Manufacturing

All industriesConstruction

1. Rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work, selected industries, 2003-2019

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

*“Other” includes exposure to harmful substances and environments; fires and explosions; assaults and violent acts; and non-classifiable exposures.

2019(N=79,660 injuries)

31.1%

2011(N=73,600 injuries)

25.2%

4.4%

29.2%33.1%

8.1% 4.7%

32.8%

6.2%

25.2%

Contact with object or equipmentFall, slip, or tripOverexertion or bodily reaction

Transportation incidentOther*

2. Distribution of leading causes of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, 2011 versus 2019

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20190K

5K

10K

15K

20K

25K

30K

13.8K 15.8K

3.7K4.1K

5.3K4.0K

1.6K2.2K

Caught in objectStruck by objectStruck against object

Other*

Nu

mb

er o

f in

juri

es

3. Number of nonfatal injuries due to contact with objects or equipment in construction, 2011-2019

*Other” category includes needlesticks; struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing material; rubbed or abraded by friction or pressure; vibration; and unspecified/unclassifiable injuries involving objects.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20190K

5K

10K

15K

20K

25K

9.7K13.8K

5.5K

7.4K3.3K

3.6K

Nu

mb

er o

f in

juri

es

Slip, trips without fallFall on same levelFall to lower level

Other*

4. Number of nonfatal falls, slips, and trips in construction, 2011-2019

*”Other” category includes jumps to the lower level, falls or jumps curtailed by a personal fall arrest system, and unspecifiable/unclassifiable falls.

The leading cause of nonfatal injuries was contact with objects or equipment (e.g., excavators, loaders, graders, etc.), accounting for nearly one-third of the total nonfatal injuries in construction (32.8%); followed by falls, slips, and trips (31.1%); and overexertion or bodily reactions (25.2%; chart 2). Falls, slips, and trips accounted for a larger proportion of construction injuries in 2019 (31.1%) than in 2011 (25.2%).

Breaking down detailed injury categories year-to-year, most injuries due to contact with objects or equipment were caused by an object striking a worker (chart 3). Such struck-by incidents resulted in 15,830 injuries in 2019, or one in five of all construction injuries (19.9% of 79,660).

Most nonfatal fall injuries in construction were due to falls to a lower level (chart 4). In 2019, there were approximately 13,770 lower-level nonfatal falls in this industry, a 41.4% increase from 2011 (9,740 injuries).

DATA BULLETIN NONFATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W. C P W R . C O M

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Injury risk varied greatly by construction establishment size (chart 5). In 2019, the injury rate in establishments with 11 to 49 employees was five times higher than their large counterparts with 1,000 or more employees (150 versus 30 injuries per 10,000 FTEs). In general, the larger the establishment size, the lower the injury rate was in construction. However, the rate for establishments with 10 or fewer employees was lower than establishments with 11 to 49 employees in 2019. Previous research suggests injuries in the smallest construction establishments could be underrepresented or underreported in the BLS injury data.

5. Rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, by establishment size, 2003-2019

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 20190

50

100

150

200

250

300

30

180

60

270

310

150

200

110*

1-10 employees11- 49 employees50 - 249 employees250 - 999 employees1,000+ employees

Rat

e pe

r 10

,000

FTE

s

120

*2003 nonfatal injury rate not provided for 1000+ employees category.

6.1K

10.3K

16.4K

4.9K

3.8K

10.0K

7.2K

13.4K

3.2K

1.0K

3.2K

2.2K

52.6K

78.0

146.5

110.3

84.2

117.6

94.4

85.0

130.9

142.2

148.8

155.1

292.7

125.8

Subsector

BuildingConstruction(NAICS 236)

Number of Injuries

Rate per10,000 FTEs

Heavy & CivilEngineering(NAICS 237)

SpecialtyTradeContractors(NAICS 238)

Subsector total*

Subsector total*

Subsector total*

Residential BuildingNonresidential Building

Highway, Street, & BridgeUtility System

Flooring

Drywall & InstallationPlumbing & HVAC

Electricity & Wiring

Framing

Poured Concrete

*Totals include subsectors not displayed in chart.

7. Number and rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work, by selected construction subsector, 2017-2019 average

6. Rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work, by construction subsector, 2003-2019

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

100

120

140

160

180

200

220

240

260

280

221.0

102.5

235.7

98.8

278.9

119.2R

ate

per

10,

000

FTE

s

Specialty Trade Contractors (NAICS 238)

Construction of Buildings (NAICS 236)Heavy & Civil Engineering (NAICS 237)

The number and rate of nonfatal injuries varied by construction subsector. Specialty Trade Contractors (NAICS 238) – the largest subsector in the construction industry – had a higher injury rate than the other two major subsectors throughout the study period (chart 6).

Among Specialty Trade Contractors, Framing (NAICS 23813) had a small number of injuries, but the highest injury rate, reaching an annual average of 292.7 per 10,000 FTEs between 2017 and 2019, about 2.5 times higher than overall construction (117.5 per 10,000 FTEs; chart 7). Three other high-risk Specialty Trade Contractors were Poured Concrete (NAICS 23811), Flooring (NAICS 23833), and Drywall and Insulation (NAICS 23831): each had an injury rate at least 30% higher (>140 per 10,000 FTEs) than overall construction.

While the injury rate for Building Construction (NAICS 236) was similar to construction overall, the rate in Residential Building (NAICS 2361) was 146.5 per 10,000 FTEs, nearly double the rate of Nonresidential Building (NAICS 2362; 78.0 per 10,000 FTEs).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21246588/

DATA BULLETIN NONFATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W. C P W R . C O M

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By demographics, older construction workers have accounted for an increasing percentage of nonfatal injury numbers over the past three decades (chart 8), reflecting the aging construction workforce. However, in terms of rate, workers under age 25 had the highest nonfatal injury rate in construction on average between 2016 and 2019 (chart 9).

© 2020 Mapbox © OpenStreetMap

42.5 213.5

© Mapbox © OSM © Mapbox © OSM

Rate per 10,000 FTEs

11. Rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, by state, 2015-2019 average

*States in grey indicate data do not meet BLS publication guidelines.

16-19 20-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

% o

f to

tal i

nju

ries

Year

Age (years)

1992

20192010

8. Distribution of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, by age group, selected years

16-19

20-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+ 1.3K

11.9K

16.6K

18.7K

19.0K

8.4K

1.7K

60.3

134.7

123.3

113.6

115.3

150.8

142.6

Number of injuriesAge Group Rate per 10,000 FTEs

9. Number and rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, by age group, 2016-2019 average

Although the gap between the two groups narrowed over time, injury rates were consistently higher among white, non-Hispanic construction workers than their Hispanic counterparts from 2011 to 2019 (chart 10). However, injuries among Hispanic construction workers may be underreported in the data source.

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20190

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

124.0

104.1

164.1

120.5

Rat

e p

er 1

0,00

0 FT

Es

HispanicWhite, non-Hispanic

10. Rate of nonfatal injuries resulting in days away from work in construction, by selected race/ethnicity, 2011-2019

Construction injury rates varied by state. From 2015 to 2019, the average annual injury rates in Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Vermont were at least 60% more than overall construction (>180 injuries per 10,000 FTEs). It is possible that nonfatal injuries were underreported in some states.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6862229/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6862229/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21246588/https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/

DATA BULLETIN NONFATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W. C P W R . C O M

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ACCESS THE CHARTS & MORE

View the charts (including supplement charts) in PowerPoint and the data underlying the charts in Excel. Downloading will start when you click on each link.

DATA SOURCES

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Population Survey (CPS). 2016-2019. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps.html

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). 1992-2019. https://www.bls.gov/iif/

REFERENCES

CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. [2020]. CPWR Websites. https://www.cpwr.com/about-cpwr/cpwr-websites/ (Accessed December 2020).

CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. [2020]. Preventing Struck-By Incidents. https://www.cpwr.com/preventing-struck-by-incidents/ (Accessed December 2020).

CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. [2018]. The Construction Chart Book, 6th ed. https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ (Accessed December 2020).

Dong XS, Fujimoto A, Ringen K, Stafford E, Platner JW, Gittleman JL, Wang X. [2011]. Injury Underreporting among Small Establishments in the Construction Industry. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. May;54(5):339-49.

Sokas RK, Dong XS, Cain CT. [2019]. Building a Sustainable Construction Workforce. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Oct 30;16(21):4202.

Despite reductions in recent years, nonfatal injuries remain 29% higher in construction than all industries combined. In 2019 alone, the construction industry recorded nearly 80,000 lost workday injuries. Of these, struck-by incidents were responsible for one in five injuries overall, remaining the leading cause of injury in construction. Falls to a lower level accounted for another large proportion of construction injuries, increasing by 41% from 2011 to 2019. Moreover, several subsectors in Specialty Trades Contractors had much higher injury rates than construction overall, and the injury rate in Residential Building Construction was nearly double the rate of Nonresidential Building Construction.

Construction injuries are preventable. To help construction employers and workers reduce leading causes of injuries, OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR and its partners have developed various resources and training courses. CPWR manages a series of websites that address specific hazards or audiences, including Stop Construction Falls, Construction Solutions, and Construction Safety & Health Network. CPWR has also developed a group of infographics for the National Campaign to Prevent Struck-By Incidents, helping raise awareness of the struck-by risk, and providing ways to prevent such injuries in work zones. These resources provide users with the latest information, research findings, new tools, solutions, and programs in construction safety and health, and materials to share with other industry stakeholders.

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps.htmlhttps://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps.htmlhttps://www.bls.gov/iif/https://www.bls.gov/iif/https://www.cpwr.com/about-cpwr/cpwr-websites/https://www.cpwr.com/about-cpwr/cpwr-websites/https://www.cpwr.com/preventing-struck-by-incidents/https://www.cpwr.com/preventing-struck-by-incidents/https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-in-construction-by-employment-establishment-and-geographic-trends/ https://www.cpwr.com/about-cpwr/cpwr-websites/https://stopconstructionfalls.com/https://www.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org/https://safeconstructionnetwork.org/https://www.cpwr.com/preventing-struck-by-incidents/https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-December2020-Charts.pptxhttps://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-December2020-ChartData.xlsx

DATA BULLETIN NONFATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W. C P W R . C O M

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©2020, CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.

Besides cpwr.com, visit CPWR’s other online resources to help reduce construction safety and health hazards: • Choose Hand Safety

http://choosehandsafety.org/ • Construction Safety and Health Network

https://safeconstructionnetwork.org/• Construction Solutions

http://www.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org/ • Construction Solutions ROI Calculator

http://www.safecalc.org/ • COVID-19 Construction Clearinghouse

http://covid.elcosh.org/index.php• COVID-19 Exposure Control Planning Tool

https://www.covidcpwr.org• Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety

and Health http://www.elcosh.org/index.php

• Exposure Control Database http://ecd.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org/

• Stop Construction Falls http://stopconstructionfalls.com/

• Work Safely with Silica http://www.silica-safe.org/

ABOUT THE CPWR DATA CENTER

The CPWR Data Center is part of CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training. CPWR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and training institution created by NABTU, and serves as its research arm. CPWR has focused on construction safety and health research since 1990. The Data Bulletin, a series of publications analyzing construction-related data, is part of our ongoing surveillance project funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

http://choosehandsafety.org/https://safeconstructionnetwork.org/http://www.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org/http://www.safecalc.org/http://covid.elcosh.org/index.phphttps://www.covidcpwr.orghttp://www.elcosh.org/index.phphttp://ecd.cpwrconstructionsolutions.org/http://stopconstructionfalls.com/http://www.silica-safe.org/