Fatal Injuries
Age
How did the numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries in construction workers vary by age during 1992 and 2001?
 | Figure 4-21 Distribution of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers by age, 1992 and 2001. The construction workforce has been growing older: In 2001, the average age for construction workers was 38.7 (1.5 years older than it was in 1992). In addition, the median age increased from 35 to 39 during this 10-year period. The aging of the construction workforce is reflected in the distribution of fatal occupational injuries in this group by age. From 1992 to 2001, the largest proportion of fatal occupational injuries shifted from construction workers aged 25-34 to those aged 35-44. For construction workers aged 25 or 34, the proportion with fatal injuries declined (from 27.8% to 21.7%), whereas it increased for workers aged 65 or older (from 3.9% to 5.9%). (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].) |
Race/Ethnicity
How did fatal occupational injury rates differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic construction workers during 1992–2001?
 | Figure 4-22 Fatal occupational injury rates among Hispanic and non-Hispanic workers in the construction industry, 1992-2001. Fatal occupational injuries among Hispanic construction workers increased from 108 in 1992 to 281 in 2001. Since 1992, Hispanic construction workers have had markedly higher fatal occupational injury rates than their non-Hispanic counterparts. In 2001 (the most recent year measured), the rate of work-related deaths from construction injuries for Hispanics was 19.5 per 100,000 full-time workers-62.5% higher than the rate of 12.0 for non-Hispanic construction workers. During 1990-2001, Hispanic employment in the U.S. construction industry increased greatly, from 649,800 in 1990 to 1.5 million (or 15.6% of the construction workforce) in 2001. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].) |
Occupation
How did the fatal occupational injury rates differ by construction trade in 2001?
 | Figure 4-23 Fatal occupational injury rates by construction trade, 2001. Fatal occupational injury rates in the construction trades for 2001 ranged from 6.0 per 100,000 full-time workers for drywall installers to 75.6 for ironworkers-more than a 12-fold difference. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Chowdhury and Dong [2002].) |
Establishment Size
How did fatal occupational injury rates vary by employment size of establishment?
 | Figure 4-24 Distribution of construction workers and fatal occupational injuries by employment size of establishment, 2001. In 2001, more than 80% of construction establishments had fewer than 10 employees, and establishments with fewer than 20 employees employed only 38.2% of the wage-and-salary workforce. However, fatal occupational injuries among these smaller establishments accounted for more than 55.5% of fatal occupational injuries in 2001. (Note: The calculation excludes the self-employed workers and deaths reported without establishment-size information.) (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Census [2003]; Dong et al. [2004].) |
Event or Exposure
How did the numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries differ by fatal event in 2001?
 | Figure 4-25 Numbers and rates of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers by fatal event, 2001. In 2001, falls to lower level accounted for the greatest number of fatal occupational injuries among construction workers (410 fatalities or 4.3 per 100,000 full-time workers). Highway accidents accounted for 161 deaths, a fatal injury rate of 1.7 per 100,000 full-time workers. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].) |
How did fatal fall rates differ by construction trade in 2001?
 | Figure 4-26 Fatal occupational fall rates by selected construction trade, 2001. The 2001 rate for fatal occupational falls among ironworkers was 66.8 per 100,000 workers-15 times the average rate for all construction. For roofers, the fatal fall rate was 30.1, or 7 times the average rate for all construction. (Sources: BLS [2002b,c]; Dong et al. [2004].) |
