Construction work can be a dangerous field, creating a high risk of worksite injuries. These injuries can be fatal or non-fatal to you, with slips, trips and falls typically having the highest incidence.
Here are three injury statistics you can keep in mind as a construction worker.
Ages of injured
According to the National Safety Council, if you are a construction worker between the ages of 25 and 34, you have a higher incidence of injury on site. This is a relatively young age for you to sustain a workplace injury that could potentially create a lifelong disability.
Number of cases
The construction field can expect approximately 174,100 incidences of worksite-related injuries based on statistics from 2020. Though you may notice this an improved number of cases considering the data from 2019, the construction industry continues to have a disproportionately higher incidence of injury, particularly given its smaller proportion of the overall workforce.
Non-fatal falls
As a construction worker, you do not need to fall from a high height to sustain a severe injury that requires time off from work or causes a permanent disability. Within the industry, you can expect approximately 32% of non-falls to result in missed workdays, with an average of 28 days of work missed.
The National Safety Council upholds that many of the injuries you might experience on a construction worksite, especially falls, are preventable. In many cases, if your worksite can improve training and enforce a focus on safety over productivity, worksite injuries can decrease.