8/30/2021—Maintaining the safety and wellbeing of workers in the construction industry is critical to protecting health, productivity and commitments to stakeholders. Even as construction equipment sees continuous innovation in safety features, the construction industry is faced with elevated levels of accidental deaths and injuries. Despite construction workers only accounting for 6 %1 of the labor force in the U.S., 20 %2 of all worker deaths are in construction, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
These fatalities are most often attributed to falls, causing 33% of construction deaths. The Center for Construction Research and Training (CCR) cites3 small employers, those with less than 20 employees, as accounting for 75% of fatal falls from 2015 to 2017. Over 300 lives could be saved per year in the U.S. by eliminating falls alone, notes the Bureau of Labor Statistics.4 Electrocution, being struck by equipment and caught in between situations, are also areas of high risk for construction workers, and leading causes of fatalities. Construction injury rates are on average 71% higher5 than all other industries, with workers age 25 to 346 being most likely to become injured on site. Facing various dangerous elements daily, and often in new, unfamiliar settings, can prove disastrous without proper precautions.
Outside of the obvious human toll accidents can cause, companies also face financial losses. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), the average cost of a construction injury requiring medical consult was $42,000 in 2019.7 With over 130,000 workers8 missing days due to injury that year alone, maintaining productivity and meeting stakeholder commitments can be a challenge. If companies are found liable, OSHA penalties9 for safety violations can fetch from $13,653 to $136,532 on average, with the highest recorded OSHA penalty clocking in at $1,791,729 10 in fines related to a fatal fall. As a nation, construction injuries cost the U.S. an estimated $5 billion 11 year in health care, lost production, lost income, and reduced quality of life for those involved.
With the obvious risks and costs involved providing education, and finding solutions to improve worker health and safety, is a critical and on-going process for business owners. Survey results12 indicate 55% of workers believe they need more safety training, with 25% concerned about injury on a daily basis. Construction companies on average lose 3.6%13 of their budgets to injuries, and only invest 2.6%14 in safety training. Ensuring workers are adequately trained, and consistently assigning work only to those trained in specific disciplines, can ensure safety regulations are being maintained.
With CoRe Connected Resources management solution, leadership can establish individual safety profiles for workers, noting exact areas of training completed, and which equipment and tasks are suitable for the worker, based on their certifications and skills. Supervisors and stakeholders have a real-time view of which worker is using which power tool, and receive notifications if workers are assigned tasks that are not compatible with their worker safety profile, helping to prevent accidents from happening at all.
For injuries that do occur, CoRe not only helps cut response time and improve outcomes, but also provides companies with the tools to perform audits, record incidents, implement corrective actions, and monitor safety training compliance and regulatory requirements. Fostering a culture that prioritizes health and safety not only benefits workers, but companies as well. OSHA estimates that for each dollar companies invest in safety programs, they save $4 to $6.15 Contact us today to learn about how adopting our plug-and-play IoT solution can help set your team up for safety and success.
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1 “About the Construction Sector.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm.
2 “Commonly Used Statistics.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, www.osha.gov/data/commonstats.
3 Bunting, MPH, Jessica, et al. “Trends of Fall Injuries and Prevention in the Construction Industry.” CPWR, The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2019, www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/Quarter2-QDR-2019.pdf.
4 “About the Construction Sector.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm.
5 Waehrer, Geetha M, et al. “Costs of Occupational Injuries in Construction in the United States.” Accident; Analysis and Prevention, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2491397/.
6 “Industry Profiles.” NSC Injury Facts, 8 Jan. 2021, injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/industry-incidence-rates/industry-profiles/.
7 “Work Injury Costs.” NSC Injury Facts, 27 Jan. 2021, injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/work-injury-costs/.
8 “2020 Annual Averages – Absences from Work of Employed Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers by Occupation and Industry.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22 Jan. 2021, www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat47.htm.
9 “OSHA Penalties.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, www.osha.gov/penalties.
10 “U.S. Department of Labor Cites and Fines Maine Roofing Contractor After Employee’s Fatal Fall.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 12 June 2019, www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region1/06122019.
11 “The $5 Billion Cost of Construction Fatalities in the United States: A 50 State Comparison.” Midwest Economic Policy Institute, 8 May 2017, midwestepi.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/mepi-construction-fatalities-nationwide-final.pdf.
12 360training. “New Survey Reveals Rise in Workplace Safety Concerns.” 360training, 30 July 2020, www.360training.com/blog/new-survey-reveals-rise-workplace-safety-concerns.
13 Mann Jackson, Nancy. “Why a Construction Safety Program Is Worth the Investment.” The Bottom Line, 14 Feb. 2020, www.nationalfunding.com/blog/construction-safety-program/.
14 “Improving Safety Can Save You Money.” Elcosh, elcosh.org/document/1452/d000505/improving-safety-can-save-you-money.html.
15 “Q’s & A’s For Small Business Employers.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor , www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha3163.pdf
