May 6-10, 2019: National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction
National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction Week
May 6-10 2019
Construction's "Fatal Four"
Out of 5147* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2017, 971 or 21% were in construction―that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.
The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" hazards were responsible for well over half (60%) of the construction worker deaths in 2017*, according to BLS reports.
- Falls — 381 out of 971 total deaths in construction in CY 2017 (39%)
- Struck by Object - 80 (8%)
- Electrocutions - 71 (7%)
- Caught-in/between* - 50 (5%)
*This category includes construction workers killed when caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material
Eliminating these Four Hazards would save 582 workers' lives each year.