Dive Brief:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its 2014 Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work report on Thursday, which found construction laborers were among the Top 10 occupations for injury and illness incidence rates (all rates expressed per 10,000 full-time workers) at 309.7, Builder Magazine reported.
- The report found laborers were also among six occupations where the incidence rate of injuries and illnesses was greater than 300, and the number of cases with days away from work was greater than 10,000.
- The most common injuries for construction laborers (and their incidence rates) were sprains, strains, tears (83.3) and fractures (32.2). Construction laborers' total days away from work were 22,190 in 2014, and the category had the highest percentage of cases resulting in 31 days or more away from work. The median number of days away from work for construction laborers was nine days, in line with the median of all other occupations.
Dive Insight:
The BLS report also found the majority of cases of incidents or illnesses in the construction industry were among men, 72,270 out of 74,460 construction-related cases, and occurred most among those with one to five years on the job. Additionally, the majority of incidents across all construction workers, and private industry employees overall, occurred on a Monday.
One result that Builder reported as a surprise was that the majority of construction incidents occurred between two and four hours on the job rather than the expected six to eight, when employees would most likely feel the effects of labor-intensive work.
Safety is a constant concern for the construction industry, as days off a project can result in delayed schedules, cost overruns and lost profits — as well as negative impacts for the workers facing injury and illness.