Deadly Construction Accidents: Falls Remain a Leading Cause of Death for Construction Workers

Fatalities Caused by Construction Work Site Falls are Preventable Accidents

Falls are the leading cause of death for workers in the construction industry.  According to the National Safety Council, almost half of all construction worker fatalities are caused by the worker being injured in a fall on the job site.  See, “42 Percent of Construction Worker Deaths Involve Falls, New Database Shows,” published by Safety and Health Magazine on January 30, 2018.

These construction fall fatalities are preventable accidents involving risks which employers shockingly ignore: falls continue to be among the Top Ten list of OSHA Violations every year. 

In its latest list of the most common worksite safety violations, the OSHA Top Ten List included the following fall dangers for construction workers:

1. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) (Number One on the Top Ten List)
2. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) (Number Three on the Top Ten List)
3. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) (Number Six on the Top Ten List)
4. Fall protection, training requirements (29 CFR 1926.503) (Number Eight on the Top Ten List). 

Almost half of the latest OSHA Top Ten Safety Violations involve dangers to construction workers where they can die from injuries sustained by a fall on their job site.

Fatal Fall Accidents in Construction Work: Various Work Site Dangers

The construction industry is complicated.  There are commercial construction sites involving a variety of projects, e.g., tall office buildings, bridges, ports.  There are also residential construction projects that can range from a small home remodel to the building of a new suburban community.

Within these construction efforts, whether working commercial or residential sites, the construction worker faces all sorts of fall risks, including:

• Falls from a height while working on a roof
• Falls from a frame scaffold
• Falls off a ladder
• Falls from a material hoist.

For more details on these types of construction accidents, read:

• Construction Falls: Scaffolds and Ladders Can Cause Serious Accidents
• Worker Fatalities: What are the Most Dangerous Jobs in 2019?

Federal and State Regulations of the Construction Industry: Fall Safety

Federal and state protections exist for these workers, of course.  For instance, federal regulations are very specific about safety for the residential construction worker.  Federal law (29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13)) requires residential construction workers on a job site that involves construction six (6) feet or higher from its lower levels must be given all “conventional fall protection” (or other fall protection measures allowed elsewhere in 29 CFR 1926.501(b)), defined as:

1. guardrail systems;
2. safety net systems; or
3. personal fall arrest systems.

There are additional federal regulations for residential construction work involving scaffolds, ladders, and aerial lifts (see CFR Part 1926 – Subpart L; Subpart X; and 1926.453).

State plans also exist to protect the construction worker against a fatal fall.  Indiana OSHA requirements (regulations and standards) are identical to those adopted by federal OSHA.  Illinois OSHA has adopted all federal OSHA standards regarding the construction industry (e.g., 29 CFR 1926).

Protecting Construction Workers from Dying in a Fall Accident

Obviously, regulations alone are not sufficient to keep construction workers safe on the job. The danger of being killed on a construction site in a fall accident is unacceptably high.  Statistics show that the construction industry has failed in making construction workers safe from being hurt or killed from a fall injury despite being legally required to do so.

It remains the duty of the employer to provide a safe work site for the employee.  Construction sites are not mysteries: these employers know what needs to be done in order to protect against fatal construction falls. 

Construction workers are employed in an industry not only infamous for its fatality rates but well known for its safety protocols and needs.  How to keep construction workers safe on the job site from a deadly fall can be done, if proper safety procedures are followed.  Fatal construction falls are recognized as preventable accidents.

For instance, OSHA recommends the following be done by employers to reduce construction falls:

1. Fall protection be provided at six feet elevation;
2. Fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance;
3. Cover every floor hole (with a railing or hole cover) into which a construction worker can accidentally step into and fall;
4. Place a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided platform
5. Place a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided floor
6. Place a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided runway
7. Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment, the employers must provide protection (guardrails, toe-boards) to prevent a fall.
8. Provide job-specific fall protection including safety harnesses, safety lines, safety nets, stair railings, and hand rails.

May 2019: National Safety Stand Down Campaign

Nevertheless, the danger of dying on the job from a fall is a significant risk for any construction worker here in Indiana and Illinois.  Recognizing that the industry itself must take action to reduce this risk, efforts are being made to boost the employer’s participation in worker safety.

For the past six years, during the month of May, the construction industry has been asked to participate in a National Safety Stand-Down.  This is an attempt by the federal government (and its partners) to reduce the number of deaths caused from falls on construction sites.  The campaign is a joint effort by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); and the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR).

From NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.:

“While small construction firms are particularly hard hit, we encourage all leaders in the construction industry to make fall prevention and the safety of construction workers their highest priority. Addressing fall prevention saves lives, not only during the National Safety Stand-Down, but every day all year long.”

Justice for Construction Worker Death in Fall on the Job

Today, employers in the construction industry are legally required to provide working conditions that are free of known dangers.  They have a legal duty to do so.

 Construction workers in Indiana and Illinois should go to work having been well trained in fall safety, as well as being provided personal protection equipment against falling on the job site and going into work on a site that has been monitored and kept free from falling dangers.  Sadly, this is not the case for many workers in our part of the country today.

For more, see:

• Construction Fall Accidents in Indiana or Illinois: Great Danger of Fatal Injury in a Fall on the Job
• Construction Worker Deaths: Almost Half of All Construction Fatalities Caused by Falls.

As long as employers keep putting profits over people, construction workers will continue to face great dangers on the job and those who suffer harm in a construction fall accident will have to look to the state laws governing personal injury and workers’ compensation for justice in the aftermath.  Please be careful out there!