Construction’s “Fatal Four” cause majority of worker deaths

If you or a loved one makes a living working in construction in Connecticut, you probably have a strong understanding of the numerous dangers that come with the profession. Today’s construction workers face a tremendously dangerous work environment each day, and they injure themselves or die on the job at higher rates than workers in numerous other industries and professions. At Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge, P.C., we know that the same four factors cause the majority of today’s construction worker deaths, and we also recognize that many industry deaths could be avoidable if employers took more preventative measures to enhance safety.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 20% of all of 2017’s on-the-job fatalities within the private sector were in the construction industry. Furthermore, nearly 60% of those construction worker deaths resulted from one of four distinct circumstances. Because these same four factors played such a substantial role in construction worker deaths, they have become known as the industry’s “Fatal Four.”

Just what are construction’s Fatal Four? At the top of the list are falls, which accounted for nearly 40% of all construction deaths in 2017. Coming in next, causing more than 8% of industry fatalities in 2017, were workers getting struck by something, such as a falling tool, a crane or what have you. The third-most-common cause of construction worker deaths in 2017 was electrocution, causing 7.3% of them, while workers getting caught in between equipment or objects rounded out the top four causes of construction worker deaths, causing more than 5% of them.

Research suggests that learning how to eliminate dangers associated with the Fatal Four would save close to 600 construction worker lives annually. You can learn more about construction accidents on our webpage.