Carpenters, in the simplest of terms, work with wood. Theirs is an ancient trade. However, for safety agencies; government regulators; industrial boards; and advocates for work accident victims and their loved ones, modern carpentry is both complicated and hazardous. Today it is an extremely dangerous way to earn a living, and carpenters on all sorts of construction sites (from a small residential remodel to a large commercial build) are at daily risk of serious or fatal bodily harm. See, Trueblood, Amber B., and Thomas Yohannes. “Fatal injury trends in the construction industry, 2011-2022.” Center for Construction Research and Training Data Bulletin (2024).
Types of Carpenters
One of the primary complexities in carpentry is that there are different types of carpenters, with diverse skill levels, responsible for all sorts of things on a construction site. While all carpenters build, install, repair, and finish wooden (alongside non-wooden) elements of buildings, distinctions arise both in the work they perform and the jobsite itself.
They may be involved with framing of the structure, creating its skeleton from wooden beams, planks, etc. Carpenters may focus on cabinetry within the building. They can be talented craftsmen creating fine details in interior trim and architectural elements. They will be adept in the use of both hand tools and power tools. For more, read “The Art and Science of Building Structures with Carpentry,” published by Wide Vision on December 11, 2023.
Within carpentry, these professionals may undertake the following roles:
- Framer or Rough carpenter: during the first stages of construction, will build roof trusses, foundations, etc., using power tools like nail guns and circular saws;
- Finish carpenter: installs things like moldings, doors, windows, trim, stair rails, and more interiors using things like routers, chisels, and miter saws;
- Remodeler: involved in the alteration of structures from demolition to renovation with things like reframing, patching, and more using assorted hand tools and power tools;
- Millworker or Cabinetmaker: involved in precision woodwork to build custom cabinets, interior storage closets, entertainment centers, etc., using tools such as table saws and nail guns;
- Formwork or concrete carpenter: builds forms or temporary structures for concrete molds, alongside bracing, etc., where concrete can set and harden as desired, using heavy tools as well as rigging;
- Trim carpenters or molding specialist: woodworking for high end restoration work like veneering, scribing, and more using both hand and power tools as required; and
- Restoration carpenter: involved in historic preservation, restoration, or repair of historic buildings or elements with knowledge of traditional building methods, historic materials, using hand and power tools as applicable to the situation (Chicago is internationally known for its extensive number of historical sites and buildings).
Most carpenters in Illinois and Indiana enter into carpentry through formal apprenticeships or years of training on the job. They may learn skills in trade schools or achieve trade or safety training certifications. Some may work for small businesses or builders, while others are employed by some of the biggest construction employers in our part of the country, like The Walsh Group, Clayco, or Pepper Construction in Illinois and USIC, F.A. Wilhelm, and Sahmbaugh & Son LP in Indiana.
Diverse Carpentry Jobsites
Carpenters in our part of the country can be busy on any number of jobsites. Their talents and expertise are needed in many places. The dangers they face will depend upon not only the role they undertake, but the workplace itself. Carpenters may be on the job in Illinois or Indiana at:
- Residential building construction sites, where multifamily (apartments; condominiums) are being built or where custom homes or new suburban neighborhoods are going up. Framers, finish carpenters, and remodelers will be busy here;
- Commercial construction sites, where big construction firms act as general contractors for huge office buildings, hotels, shopping centers, and more; these multi-trade sites will have need for things like formwork for concrete, cabinetry making, and more;
- Prefab manufacturing companies and RV manufacturing plants will need carpenters for things like wall panels; trusses; etc. (of note, Indiana is known as the “RV Manufacturer of the World”);
- Institutional facilities may have carpenters on the payroll for repair and maintenance (think large property owners; universities; etc.); and
- Service companies hire carpenters to do things like repair and remodeling work, various finishing jobs, and smaller construction projects (interior and exterior).
Accident Risks Facing Carpenters in Illinois and Indiana
Combining the various skill sets and experience levels of carpenters with the unique hazards that come with their specific worksite means that each situation must be evaluated by that worker each day to try and minimize risk.
The workplace may come with risks of falls because the carpenter is required to work from a height (such as on a scaffold or atop a ladder or roof). There can be the danger of swinging loads on some sites.
Power tools come with their own dangers. Saws are inherently risky for lacerations or amputations, for instance. Electrocution or electric shock is another danger the carpenter faces not only with power tools, but with exposure on some sites to hidden live wires and hidden currents.
Carpenters may be struck by an object while on the job, or pinned by equipment in a caught-in-between accident. Busy commercial construction sites come with their own dangers, including motor vehicle accidents where forklifts are improperly driven or cranes are involved in a work accident.
For more, read our earlier discussions in:
- Deadly Construction Accidents: Falls Remain a Leading Cause of Death for Construction Workers
- Power Tools and the Risk of Serious or Deadly Construction Accidents
- Electrical Injuries and Electrocution Accidents on the Construction Site
- Caught In-Between Hazards: One of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” Deadly Construction Accidents.
Carpenters are on the job in an industry recognized as being one of the most dangerous in this country. While no construction worker is on the job in complete safety, the carpenter runs a much greater risk of being hurt in a work accident than others on the worksite.
In our next article, more details will be provided regarding these specific injury risks faced by local carpenters as well as those third parties who owe them legal duties of safety and care designed to protect the carpenter from being hurt. When those duties are ignored or disrespected, the carpenter is unbelievably vulnerable to a catastrophic or deadly on-the-job accident.
Also see:
- New BLS Census on Deadly Work Accidents: Warning for Construction Workers
- Industrial Housekeeping and Construction Site Accidents
- Residential Construction Accidents in Indiana
- Construction Industry Personal Protective Equipment: New Federal Standard Effective January 2025.
Carpentry is a longstanding, traditional, and respected trade. Those choosing this field are critical to construction projects throughout Illinois and Indiana, and they deserve protection by all those with control of aspects of that site to keep them safe. Unfortunately, carpenter work accidents are all too common here, with tragic consequences because these safety duties are breached. Please be careful out there!
