Construction: A Dangerous Career

Truck drivers swerve through mountain passes during a blizzard. In skin melting heat, forest fire fighters run into Mother Nature’s blazing rage. Fishermen ward off ice chunks and massive waves to bring in a cage of crab. Police officers suit up in body armor before an armed raid. These are the dangerous jobs that hard working men and women in the United States face every day on the job. But what people don’t realize is that one of the most dangerous careers to be in is construction.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans wake up at the crack of dawn and head to construction sites of all shapes and sizes, putting their health on the line for the greater good of completing the job. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA, 4,628 construction workers were killed on the job in a study conducted in 2012. This meant on average there were at least 12 deaths on construction job sites every day. Surprising? Because of the types of equipment, buildings, materials, and level of group communication, a construction job site can be a treacherous area to make a career.

Fatal reports from construction sites in countries like Qatar seem more explainable, especially with poor working conditions and unreasonable deadlines. But unfortunately even on job sites with proper working conditions and quality management, accidents still happen.

OSHA describes construction fatalities with the “Fatal Four” that are responsible for 54.2% of construction deaths. The “Fatal Four” includes: falls (34/6%), struck by object (9.8%), electrocutions *8.1%), caught-in/between (1.6%).

These dangers are always prevalent on job sites across the country. Construction workers need to continue to be educated about safety on the job site in order to prevent fatal accidents. Still, accidents do happen and a part of being a construction worker is dealing with danger. With new technologies, better communication, and increased resources the dangers of construction can continued to be lessened. 

This blog post was brought to us by our friends at Carolina Services Inc.