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April 3–7 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. From 2011 to 2015, 609 workers were killed from injuries at road work zones in the United States. These work zones include construction, maintenance, or utility work on a road, street, or highway. Workers in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California incurred the most fatal injuries at road construction sites during the 5-year period.
State | Number |
---|---|
Total |
609 |
Alabama |
17 |
Alaska |
1 |
Arizona |
3 |
Arkansas |
18 |
California |
32 |
Colorado |
10 |
Connecticut |
5 |
Delaware |
- |
District of Columbia |
1 |
Florida |
38 |
Georgia |
5 |
Hawaii |
- |
Idaho |
2 |
Illinois |
21 |
Indiana |
25 |
Iowa |
7 |
Kansas |
7 |
Kentucky |
12 |
Louisiana |
16 |
Maine |
3 |
Maryland |
10 |
Massachusetts |
8 |
Michigan |
12 |
Minnesota |
5 |
Mississippi |
13 |
Missouri |
8 |
Montana |
4 |
Nebraska |
6 |
Nevada |
8 |
New Hampshire |
- |
New Jersey |
14 |
New Mexico |
7 |
New York |
17 |
North Carolina |
22 |
North Dakota |
6 |
Ohio |
19 |
Oklahoma |
16 |
Oregon |
10 |
Pennsylvania |
38 |
Rhode Island |
2 |
South Carolina |
16 |
South Dakota |
4 |
Tennessee |
25 |
Texas |
67 |
Utah |
5 |
Vermont |
2 |
Virginia |
13 |
Washington |
6 |
West Virginia |
7 |
Wisconsin |
10 |
Wyoming |
6 |
Note: Dashes indicate no data reported or data do not meet publication criteria. |
About 46 percent of these workers were killed in pedestrian vehicular incidents, which include being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment. Workers were most frequently struck by automobiles or dump trucks. Of the 79 workers struck by an automobile, the automobile was moving forward in 72 cases. Of the 49 workers struck by a dump truck, the dump truck was backing up in 40 cases.
Vehicle or mobile equipment | Number |
---|---|
Total |
279 |
Automobile |
79 |
Dump truck |
49 |
Pickup truck |
48 |
Semi, tractor-trailer, tanker truck |
26 |
SUV, sports utility vehicle |
26 |
Passenger van |
8 |
Delivery truck or van |
5 |
Backhoes, trackhoes |
3 |
Rollers, compactors - construction |
3 |
Skid steer loaders, mini loaders |
3 |
Street sweeping and cleaning machinery |
3 |
All other vehicles and mobile equipment |
26 |
These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, which is part of the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. A Monthly Labor Review article examined fatal occupational injuries at road construction sites over the 2003–10 period.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Fatal injuries at road work zones at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/fatal-injuries-at-road-work-zones.htm (visited December 10, 2024).