CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story cited an incorrect number for people killed by lightning each year.
Dive Brief:
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Five Colorado construction workers were injured this week when lightning struck their job site at an apartment complex.
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Three of them were hospitalized, including one in serious condition, a fire official told NBC News.
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Lightning kills approximately 49 people and injures several hundred a year, the National Weather Service has reported.
Dive Insight:
This has been a particularly deadly week for construction workers. OSHA has begun looking into the death of a construction worker at a student housing site in Lincoln. Michael Snider of Sedalia, MO, died Wednesday when a piece of metal fell 130 feet and struck him.
Antonio Simoes of Naugatuck, CT, died when the gas powered saw he was using to cut through a water main kicked back on him. He was working on a $17 million project at Connecticut's Sikorsky Memorial Airport. OSHA is investigating the circumstances of his death.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has advised contractors to create a policy for warning their crews when severe weather could be accompanied by lighting, and to plan a way for workers to get to safety. In addition, the agency has warned outdoor workers to stay low during storms and avoid rooftops, scaffolding, utility poles, ladders, trees and large equipment like cranes and bulldozers.
