Construction site safety

Construction work is a dangerous land-based job. Some construction site jobs include: building houses, roads, workplaces and repair and maintain infrastructures. This work includes many hazardous task and conditions such as working with height, excavation, noise, dust, power tools and equipment. The most common fatalities are caused by the fatal four: falls, struck by object, electrocutions and caught-in/between. Construction work has been increasing in developing and undeveloped countries over the past few years. With an increase in this type of work occupational fatalities have increased. Occupational fatalities are individuals that pass way while on the job or performing work related tasks. Within the field of construction it is important to have safe construction sites.

In 2014, the United States had 4,679 fatal occupational injuries; incidence rate of 3.3 per 100,000 full-time employed workers. In the same year, fatal work injuries in construction and extraction occupations increased 5%. One in five workers died in 2014 were due to construction related deaths. Construction has about 6% of U.S. workers, but 17% of the fatalities - the largest number of fatalities reported for any industry sector. In 2002, there were 22,453 industrial accidents in Hong Kong, of which 6,239 accidents were construction related cases. In the United Kingdom, the construction industry is responsible for 31% of fatalities at work and 10% of major workplace injuries. I In South Africa there are 150 fatalities and approximately 400 injuries each year related to construction sites. In Brazil, the incidence rate for all occupational fatalities is 3.6 per 100,000. (Little to no information regarding construction fatalities could be found in Asia, South American, Africa, and Antarctic). The chart below contains more countries and the rate of construction site fatalities.

The leading safety hazards on construction sites include: falls, caught between objects, electrocutions, and struck by objects. All four of those hazards have caused injuries and deaths throughout the world of construction sites. Failures in hazard identification are often due to limited or improper training and supervision of the construction site workers. Examples of areas were there are limited training includes: tasks in design for safety, safety inspection, and monitoring safety. Failure in any of these areas can result in an increased risk in exposing workers to harm in the construction environment.

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