Construction sites fatalities and

injuries
Eng.Eyass Al-Adaileh
Construction's "Fatal Four"
Out of 4,674 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2017, 971 or 20.7%
were in construction — that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in
construction. The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway
collisions) in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck by object,
electrocution, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for more
than half (59.9%) the construction worker deaths in 2017, BLS reports. Eliminating the
Fatal Four would save 582 workers' lives in America every year.

Falls – 381 out of 971 total deaths in construction in CY 2017 (39.2%)

Struck by Object – 80 (8.2%)
Electrocutions – 71 (7.3%)
Caught-in/between* – 50 (5.1%)
(*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)

https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html
For 2015, the breakdown was as follows:
Falls – 364 out of 937 total construction worker
deaths in 2015 (38.8%)
Struck by Object – 90 (9.6%)
Electrocutions – 81 (8.6%)
Caught in/between – 67 (7.2%)

While the Fatal Four, justifiably, generally garners most of the focus
when it comes to construction safety, today we are going to look at the
top sources, events and exposures of nonfatal construction accident
injuries. We’ll also cover some safety tips to prevent accident injuries at
the construction site.
Note: Data is based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’
2015 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for nonfatal
occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work.
Top Events or Exposures Leading to Construction Accident Injuries or Illnesses :

Contact with Objects – 26,550 total cases

Being struck by objects or equipment (16,260) was the leading event in this category
with 6,710 being injured by a handheld object or equipment and most of those were
caused by the object slipping or being swung by the injured worker (4,740). There
were 5,060 construction accident injuries caused by a falling object or equipment
striking a worker.
There were 6,190 accident injuries caused by workers being struck against an object or
piece of equipment. Of those, 1,630 were from being struck against a moving object or
equipment and 3,910 were from being struck against something stationary like
stepping on an object (1,520).
There were also 2,560 construction accident injuries from workers being caught in or
being compressed by equipment or objects. Being caught in running equipment or
machinery caused 960 accident injuries and being compressed or pinched in shifting
objects or equipment resulted in 760 accident injuries.

Safety Tips:
•Avoid areas where overhead work is being done
•Always keep your hard hat on at the jobsite
•Use tool lanyards or netting to avoid knocking tools or materials to a lower level
•Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing that could get caught in running equipment
Falls, Slips, and Trips – 23,860 total cases

Falls to a lower level (11,150) caused slightly more construction accident injuries than
falls on the same level (8,120). Slips or trips without falls were responsible for 3,980
accident injuries.
Safety Tips:
•Make sure fall protection is provided when working at height
•Inspect all personal arrest systems to make sure harnesses, connecting devices and
lanyards/lifelines are in good working orders
•Keep walking surfaces clear of construction materials and debris

Overexertion – 21,960 total cases

Construction is hard, strenuous work and it’s easy to overexert yourself when carrying
out daily tasks. Overexertion from lifting or lowering objects (6,250) was the leading
cause of construction accident injuries in this category.
Safety Tips:
•Always wear a back brace when lifting heavy objects
•Bend at the knees and use your legs to lift objects
•Take frequent breaks when performing tasks that require repetitive motions or when
you are feeling tired
Transportation Incidents – 3,380 total cases
Most of these accident injuries were from roadway incidents and vehicle
collisions (2,240). There were also 790 injuries from pedestrians being
struck by vehicles mostly in work zones or off the road like on
construction sites.

Safety Tips:
•Always obey all traffic rules when operating vehicles on the road
•Use spotters to help notify drivers of workers in their blind spots
•Set up barricades and signs to notify highway drivers of work zones

https://www.constructconnect.com/blog/top-causes-construction-accident-injuries-prevent
‫وتناولت الورقة النقاشية الولى موضوع »إصابات العمل في قطاع النشاءات« التي قدمها مدير إدارة‬
‫إصابات العمل والسلمة المهنية بمؤسسة الضمان فراس الشطناوي مبينا ا أن عدد الحوادث الناجمة‬
‫عن إصابات العمل التي سسجلت لدى المؤسسة فيما يخص قطاع النشاءات بلغت ) ‪ ( 1876‬حادث‬
‫عمل في عام ‪ 2014‬وبنسبة ‪ % 12.2‬من إجما لي الحوادث المسجلة لهذا العام‪ ،‬و ) ‪ ( 2022‬حادث‬
‫عمل في عام ‪ 2015‬وبنسبة ‪ % 13.9‬من إجمالي الحوادث المسجلة لدى المؤسسة ‪.‬‬

‫وأشار إلى أن ) ‪ ( 62.9‬من إصابات العمل المسجلة في قطاع النشاءات لعام ‪ 2015‬كانت لمؤمن‬
‫عليهم أردنيين‪ ،‬فيما كانت نسبة ) ‪ (% 37.1‬من الصابات لغير أردنيين في العام نفسه‪ ،‬بينما بلغ معدل‬
‫وقوع إصابات العمل للردنيين ) ‪ ( 43.7‬إصابة عمل لكل ) ‪ ( 1000‬مؤمن عليه أردني في عام ‪،2015‬‬
‫في حين بلغ معدل وقوع إصابات العمل لكل ‪ 1000‬مؤمن عليه غير أردني ) ‪ ( 47.7‬للعام نفسه ‪.‬‬

‫وبين أن الفئة العمرية من ) ‪ ( 24 - 20‬سنة استحوذت على أعلى نسب إصابات عمل في قطاع‬
‫النشاءات لعام ‪ 2015‬إذ تم تسجيل ) ‪ ( 502‬إصابة بهذه الفئة وبنسبة ) ‪ (% 27.7‬من إجمالي الصابات‪،‬‬
‫تلتها الفئة العمرية من ) ‪ ( 29 - 25‬سنة بعدد إصابات بلغ ) ‪ ( 425‬إصابة وبنسبة ) ‪ (% 23.5‬من إجمالي‬
‫الصابات أما فيما يتعلق بأعداد الصابات حسب سبب الصابة في قطاع النشاءات فقد سجل سقوط‬
‫الشخاص أعلى النسب في عام ‪ 2015‬؛ إذ وصل عدد الصابات بسببه إلى ) ‪ ( 331‬إصابة وبنسبة‬
‫) ‪ ،(% 38.4‬تلتها سقوط الشياء بعدد إصابات بلغ ) ‪ ( 331‬إصابة وبنسبة ) ‪.(% 14.7‬‬
‫وأكد الشطناوي أن السباب الجذرية لوقوع الحوادث تتمثل في ضعف التزام إدارات المنشآت بالسلمة‬
‫والصحة المهنية‪ ،‬وعدم كفاءة التدريب بهذا الجانب في المنشآت‪ ،‬إضافة إلى ضعف الدور الرقابي‬
‫للجهات المعنية في السلمة والصحة المهنية‪ ،‬وعدم وجود سياسة واضحة أو استراتيجية سلمة وصحة‬
‫مهن ية في الردن تر كز ع لى قطاع النشاءات ‪” http://jcca.org.jo/News.aspx?id=12884‬مو قع نقابة‬
‫مقاولي النشاءات الردنيين“‬