Fatal falls in the private construction industry, 2003–14

From 2003 through 2014, fatal work injuries in the private construction industry declined by 21 percent. A total of 1,131 workplace deaths were recorded in construction in 2003, compared with 899 in 2014. This decrease resulted in part from the decline in construction employment during the 2007–09 recession.

As the total number of fatalities in private construction has decreased, fatalities due to falls have accounted for an increasing percentage of the deaths at work in the industry. In 2003, 32 percent of all fatal work injuries in the industry resulted from falls, compared with 40 percent in 2014. While both the number of fatalities due to falls and the number of fatalities due to other events are lower in recent years than they were in the years before the recession, over the 2003–14 period fatalities due to falls have decreased less than fatalities due to other events.

The vast majority of falls in private construction are falls to a lower level. Over the 2011–14 period, 35 percent of fatal falls to a lower level in private construction were from roofs (405 deaths). Ladders accounted for another 24 percent of fatal falls (281 deaths). Scaffolds and staging accounted for 15 percent of fatal falls (172 deaths). The most common height of fatal construction falls over the 2011–14 period was from more than 30 feet (211 deaths), though fatal falls of 11 to 15 feet were nearly as common (194 deaths).

These data are from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. From May 2–6, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is having a National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.