Just the Facts: What You Need to Know About 2021 U.S. Construction Accidents

If you or a loved one works in the building trades, you need to understand some basic facts about accidents and injuries in the construction industry. You also need to appreciate what you need to do if you, a family member, or other loved one is injured in a construction accident.

Facts About Fatal Construction Accidents

Because of the nature of construction sites and the inherent dangers of these workplaces, when an accident occurs, injuries and be profound and oftentimes deadline. There are five key factors associated with fatal construction accidents to bear in mind:

• An astounding one out of every five deaths involving a worker in the United States happens as the result of a construction accident, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA.
• A total of 1,071 workers died in construction accident in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS.
• Annually, almost 10 out of every 100,000 construction workers is killed on the job, according to data maintained by the BLS.
• If the average of more than 40 crane-related construction accident deaths in the United States, 60 percent of these fatalities involve a falling object, according to the BLS.
• The BLS also reports that a full one-third of all construction accidents involve falls, taking more than 300 lives annually.

Fatal Four: The Deadliest Construction Accidents

The U.S. construction industry has dubbed the most frequently occurring fatal construction site accidents the “Fatal Four.” The Fatal Four most commonly occurring construction accidents are:

• Falls
• Struck by objects
• Electrocution
• Caught in or between objects

Facts About Nonfatal Construction Accidents

In addition to being aware of key facts surrounding fatal construction accidents, you also need to be aware of the most frequently occurring nonfatal construction accidents that occur each year in the United States:

• Annually, nearly 2 percent of construction workers will sustain an injury severe enough to warrant missed work, according to the BLS.
• The construction industry accounts for over 8 percent of all injuries that end up in lost work days, also according to data from the BLS.
• The National Institutes of Health (or NIH) reports that injury rates in the construction industry are 71 percent higher than the average across all industries in the United States.
• More that 25 percent of workers in the construction industry advise that they failed to report a work-related injury, according to CPWR (Center for Construction Research and Training).
• During the 2018 calendar year, there were over 195,000 injuries arising from a construction accident, according to the BLS.

Cost of Construction Accidents in the United States

The costs associated with construction accidents in the United States are astronomical:

• Fatal construction accidents cost $5 billion each year in the United States, including losses associated with health care expenses, lost income, reduced quality of life, and loss or production, according to data developed by Midwest Economic Policy Institute.
• The total combined cost of all construction industries in the United States each year averages over $11 billion, according to the NIH.
• Liberty Mutual reports that the total amount of workers’ compensation claims for construction accidents injuries in the country amounts to over $2.5 billion annually.

Protecting Your Legal Rights After a Construction Accident

The first step you need to take to protect your crucial legal rights and interests following a construction accident is to retain the services of an experienced, dedicated construction accident lawyer, like a member of the legal team at The Doan Law Firm. You can connect with The Doan Law Firm any time of the day or night by calling us at (800) 349-0000. Our construction accident lawyer hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, including all major holidays.

A nationwide law firm, we can schedule an initial consultation at any one of our 40 offices located from coast to coast in the United States. We can also schedule virtual appointment for you online or an initial consultation and case evaluation at your home. There is never a charge for an initial consultation with a construction accident lawyer.

The Doan Law Firm makes an attorney fee pledge to you. We will never charge an attorney fee in your case unless we win for you.