Deaths from Falls in Construction, 1997
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Michael McCann, Risana
Chowdhury
CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training
National Occupational
Injury Research Symposium
Pittsburgh, October 2000
This research was made possible by CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training
(CPWR) as part of a research agreement with the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH (NIOSH grant CCU310982). The research
is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent
the official views of NIOSH. CPWR — the research and development arm of
the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO — is uniquely
situated to serve workers, contractors, and the scientific community.
A major CPWR activity is to improve safety and health in the U.S. construction
industry.
Copies of this report may be obtained from Publications, CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training, Suite 1000, 8484 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring,
MD 20910, 301-578-8500. (Report D2-00) for $5 postpaid.
BLS |
US
Bureau of Labor Statistics |
Methods
Findings
Discussion
Conclusions
and Recommendations
References
End Notes
Tables:
Figures:
1. Fatal
falls, by cause, construction, United States, 1997
2. Subcategories of falls from roofs, construction,
United States, 1997
3. Fatal falls, by occupation, single-family home and
all construction, United States, 1997
4. Distribution of fatal falls among self-employed
construction workers, by occupation, single-family and all construction,
United States, 1997
Several studies point to falls as the leading cause of death of construction
workers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), falls from
roofs, ladders, and scaffolds account for about 28% of work-related deaths
from injuries in construction (BLS 1996).
Although BLS data
show that death rates from falls are much higher for ironworkers and roofers
compared with other construction trades
1
, a detailed breakdown of data on fatal falls has not been provided.
This report details
fatal falls to a lower level by reported cause, construction type, occupation,
and employment status for 1997 using data from the BLS Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries. Rates are not presented, because hours worked data
cannot be broken down by the hazard categories (such as roof or ladder).
Because of potential technical statistical problems, the numbers in this
report should be used only to identify the main problems such as,
that most of the falls from roofs were from a roof edge (see
fig. 2).
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for 1997 contained 373 deaths
from falls to a lower level2. From that number,
the authors eliminated nine case records involving falls that occurred
before 1997. So, 364 records of falls to a lower level were analyzed using
a Microsoft Access 97 database.
The 364 fatal falls were classified as follows, using the Census of Fatal
Occupational Injuries event code variable and case narratives:
Roof
Roof edge
Roof opening
Skylight
Through roof surface
Roof, other
Building
Floor or wall
opening
Building
Building, other
Ladder
Scaffold
Aerial lift
Girder or other structural steel
Tower
Non-moving vehicle
Other
Unknown.
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A fall from a roof edge
was identified when the event code was "fall from roof edge" or the source
code variable was the ground, the narrative stated "fall off roof" or "fall
from roof," and there was no indication of other circumstances.
This study focused on two types of construction:
- Single-family
home or townhouse
- Other buildings
(commercial, industrial, public, etc.)
This analysis classifies
a fall as occurring in a "single-family home" if the industry field was
classified as "General Building Contractors-single-family houses" (and the
narrative didn't indicate another type of construction), if the location
field was classified as home, or if a key word in the narrative indicated
a single-family home (for instance, home, house, attic). A classification
of "other building" was used if the industry code variable was "General
Building Contractors-nonresidential," "General Building Contractors-industrial
buildings and warehouses," or "General Contractors-nonresidential buildings,
other than industrial." A location code variable with the classification
"apartment, industrial place and premises, public building, parking lot,"
enabled the construction type to be classified as "other building." Keywords
in the narrative fields that helped eliminate the category of single-family
home included elevator, restroom, suspended scaffold, and warehouse.
The employee status code variable was used to determine whether a worker
was self-employed.
Fatal
Falls by Type of Fall
- One-third of
fatal falls were from roofs (fig. 1). Most tower
falls involved communications towers.
- Half of the roof
falls were from the roof edge, and one-third were through roof holes
or skylights (fig. 2).
Figure
1. Fatal falls by cause, construction, United States, 1997
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Figure 2. Subcategories of falls from roofs, construction,
United States, 1997
Note: 122 total fatal falls from roofs.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Fatal Falls by Type of Construction
- The proportion
of fatal falls from roofs was similar for single-family homes and other
types of buildings, accounting for about 40% of falls (table
1). Falls from roof edges accounted for two-thirds of roof falls
during single-family home construction, but only half of the falls from
roofs during other building construction.
- For both types
of building construction, about one-sixth of the falls were from scaffolds.
- Falls from ladders
accounted for almost one-third of fatal falls during single-family home
construction, compared with one-sixth for other building construction
falls.
Table
1. Number of fatal falls from buildings by type of building and cause, United
States, 1997
|
Single-family
homes |
Other
buildings |
Falls
from roof
Roof edge
Roof opening
Skylights
Through roof surface
Roof, other
Total roof falls |
16
-
-
-
5
24 |
46
20
14
13
5
98 |
Falls
from ladder |
20 |
40 |
Falls
from scaffold |
10 |
43 |
Falls
from girders or structural steel |
- |
29 |
Falls
from aerial lifts |
- |
14 |
Falls
through wall or floor openings |
7 |
10 |
Falls
from building, other |
- |
5 |
Falls,
other |
- |
6 |
Falls,
unknown |
- |
- |
Total
falls |
65 |
248 |
%
of total falls |
18% |
68% |
Does not meet BLS publication criteria.
Note: Table includes only falls to a lower level.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Fatal Falls by Age Group
- Although falls
from roofs are one-third of the total, they accounted for half of the
fatal falls for workers under age 25 (table 2).
- Ladder falls
accounted for 28% of all fatal falls for workers over age 44, but 17%
of all fatal falls. About 60% of ladder falls are in the over-44 age
group.
3
Table
2. Fatal falls by age group, construction, United States, 1997
Age
group Other falls (years) |
Total
falls |
From
roof |
From
ladder |
From
scaffold |
Other
falls to Lower Levels |
|
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
Under
25 |
45 |
12% |
23 |
19% |
- |
5% |
7 |
11% |
12 |
10% |
25-44 |
186 |
51% |
63 |
52% |
23 |
37% |
33 |
54% |
67 |
57% |
Older
than 44 |
133 |
37% |
36 |
30% |
37 |
59% |
21 |
34% |
39 |
33% |
Total |
364 |
100% |
122 |
101% |
63 |
101% |
61 |
99% |
118 |
100% |
Fatal Falls by Occupation
- Single-family
home construction, with 18% of fatal falls, accounted for one-third
of the total falls among carpenters and painters, and half of all falls
among managers and administrators (fig. 3) (The BLS data for residential
construction categorize a remarkably high proportion of self-employed
workers as "managers and administrators.")
- Roof falls caused
37/98 (38%) of construction laborer fall deaths, followed by 23 scaffold
falls (23%), and 15 ladder falls (15%).
- Falls from girders
or structural steel caused 22/39 (56%) of ironworker fall deaths, followed
by 8 roof falls (21%) and six scaffolds falls (15%).
- Roof falls cause
31/39 (79%) of roofer fall deaths, followed by 6 ladder deaths (15%);
roofers had almost half of all skylight falls.
- Roof falls caused
11/36 (31%) of carpenter fall deaths, followed by 7 ladder deaths (20%),
6 floor or wall opening deaths (17%), and 5 scaffold deaths (14%).
- Ladder falls
caused 9/19 (47%) of painter fall deaths.
Figure
3. Fatal falls by occupation, single-family home and all construction, United
States, 1997
Note: Data include only falls to a lower level. Ironworkers and electricians
had fewer than 5 such deaths in 1997.
Fatal Falls of Self-employed Workers
- Self-employed
workers accounted for 44% of fatal falls during single-family home construction
(fig. 4).
Figure
4. Distribution of fatal falls among self-employed construction workers,
by occupation, single-family and all construction, United States, 1997
Note: Falls to a lower level. "Other occupations" had fewer
than 5 deaths in 1997 .
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Causes
of Fatal Falls to a Lower Level
- This analysis
is consistent with previous findings that falls from roofs, scaffolds,
and ladders are the main causes of deaths from falls.
- The large percentage
of falls from roof edges among roofers points out the need for targeted
prevention efforts. Most of these falls were associated with a lack
of fall protection.
- Falls from aerial
lifts and towers need investigation.
Type
of Construction
- One-fifth of all
construction falls occurred during single-family home construction.
- Ladder-related
falls in single-family home construction account for about one-third
of all ladder falls and double that for other building construction.
Scaffold falls in single-family home construction account for one-sixth
of all scaffold falls. These numbers focus attention on the hazards
of single-family home construction.
- Specific hazards
vary in severity among different types of construction probably because
of the different tasks and methods required. Assessment of contractor
and worker knowledge and attitudes toward safety should be conducted.
Victims'
Ages
- Workers under
25 years experienced more fatal roof falls than other types of falls.
- Most falls from
ladders were among workers older than 44.
- Balance is
critical on ladders and could be a possible factor in falls from
ladders for older workers.
- Body weight
and ladder stability should also be further explored, given that
weight tends to increase with age.
Construction
Occupations and Falls
- The patterns
of falls for the occupations suggest a need for task-specific approaches
to fall interventions. For instance, ladder training might be warranted
for painters.
- Falls from roof
edges and skylights should be addressed for roofers.
- The numbers of
fatal falls of managers and administrators was surprising. Half of these
managers and administrators were self-employed, but appeared to be acting
as craft workers in many instances. This also suggests the importance
of conducting safety training for all workers on construction sites.
This study found differences
in the distribution of fatal falls depending on the type of construction,
occupation, age and employment status. This descriptive analysis of fatal
falls to a lower level can help with selecting further research and possible
interventions to reduce fall-related deaths. Recommendations include:
- Fall safety training
for all workers at risk of falling, including self-employed workers.
- Self-employed
workers should be targeted for safety and health programs; their
actions can endanger other workers.
- Evaluation of
safety monitor and safety line systems
- Development of
task-specific interventions
- For roof
work, additional studies are needed to determine the effectiveness
of safety monitors and warning lines.
- Development of
interventions for single-family home construction
- Research into
why older workers have a high proportion of falls from ladders.
BLS, Bureau of Labor
Statistics. 1996. Fatal Workplace injuries in 1994: A Collection of Data
and Analysis. (BLS Publication No. 908). Washington, D.C.: US Government
Printing Office.
CPWR, CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training. 1998. The Construction Chart
Book: The US Construction Industry and Its Workers. Washington, DC:
Report D1-98. Tables 19b, 21a, and 32a.
Kisner, Suzanne and David Fosbroke. 1994. Industry Hazards in the Construction
Industry. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 36(2): 137-43.
NAHB. 1998. Fatal Falls in the Residential Construction Industry.
Washington, DC: National Association of Home Builders.
NIOSH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 1993. Fatal
Injuries to Workers in the United States, 1980-89: A Decade of Surveillance.
(DHHS Publication NO. 93-108S). Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office.
Suruda, Anthony, David Fosbroke, and Richard Braddee. 1995. Fatal Work-Related
Falls from Roofs. Journal of Safety Research, 26(1): 1-8.
1. For
instance, in 1995, death rates from falls per 100,000 full-time equivalent
workers were 51.7 for ironworkers, 26.4 for roofers, 12.7 for laborers and
helpers, and 5.0 for painters. See CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training
1998, 34a.
2. That number was updated to 377 in a more recent BLS report.
3. Chi-square tests confirm that statistically significant differences
exist in age distributions of roof versus ladder falls (p-value << .05),
as well as of scaffold versus ladder falls (p-value < .05).
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