Construction Site Accidents: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions and Prevention Tips
Construction site accidents can have devastating consequences, leading to financial losses, injuries, and even fatalities. The right training and precautions could help to prevent many of these accidents. This article explores common questions and recommends measures to make construction environments safer.
1. What is the most common accident in construction?
Falls, which include slips, trips, and falls from heights, are the most common accidents on construction sites. This includes falls from significant height (i.e. off of the side of a building) as well as falls from scaffolding, roofs, ladders, etc. While the data varies, depending on source, approximately 30-40% of all fatalities in the construction industry are the result of falls.
2. What are the 5 main causes of accidents in construction?
Construction safety literature typically references the “Big 4” as the most common causes of construction accidents, which include: (1) falls (including, trips, slips, and falls from heights, (2) being struck by an object, (3) electrocution/electric shock injuries, and (4) caught in between two or more objects. There is not a lot of literature out there to say what number 5 is, so I don’t want to speculate. The Fatal Four make up nearly all construction accidents and deaths.
3. What type of accident kills the most at a construction site?
Falls, which include slips, trips, and falls from heights, account for as many as 40% of all construction-related deaths.
4. What are the most common construction site accident problems construction workers face?
In addition to and in conjunction with the Big 4 causes above, the most common construction site issues that workers face include:
- Lack of and/or lack of appropriate/adequate Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”), which includes fall protection (harnesses, lanyards, perimeter fall protection, guardrails, etc.), eye protection, ear protection, flame retardant clothing, steel-toed or steel metatarsal boots, and many others.
- Lack of site-specific safety plans or inadequate site safety plans;
- Lack of or poor enforcement of site-specific safety plans and/or safety regulations in general;
- Lack of and/or inadequate safety orientations
- Failure to perform Job Hazard Analyses (“JHAs”) and/or Job Safety Analyses (“JSAs”), which are OSHA-mandated planning procedures for addressing specific and unique hazards and safety issues
- Lack of competent person (an OSHA designation for person in a position of authority with specific knowledge of OSHA);
- Improper sequencing and coordination of the work;
- Rush to complete job/stick to timeline;
- Wrong tool for the job and/or inability to access necessary tools and/or machinery in timely fashion;
5. How Can Construction Accidents Be Avoided?
- Site Safety Orientation
- Site-specific safety plan
- Planning of work
- Proper sequencing and coordination of the work
- Due diligence in determining contractors’ competencies
- Enforcement of Safety Plan and Safety guidelines
- Enforcement of OSHA
- Providing all required PPE
- Performing JHAs/JSAs
- Ensuring that each contractor and worker has the right tools for the job
- Enforcement of PPE requirements
- Regular site walkthroughs by General Contractor (Project Manager or Superintendent) and subcontractors (Superintendents or forepeople)
If you have been injured, or a family member has been injured or killed, as a result of a construction accident, SMB is committed to obtaining all the results you need and deserve. Contact one of our construction accident & injury attorneys today.