On Dec. 16, 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries report for 2020, which showed the private construction industry had 1,008 fatal injuries for the year—down 5% from 1,061 fatal injuries in 2019, according to enr.com. Still, the 1,008 total is the same as the 2018 figure and higher than the number of construction fatalities in any year from 2011 to 2017.
Additionally, the industry’s 2020 fatal injury rate rose to 10.2 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers from 9.7 in 2019 and is the highest rate for at least the past 10 years.
The fatal injury rate is viewed as a key safety indicator because it adjusts for yearly changes in the overall number of workers and amount of construction work.
BLS noted its fatal workplace injury report does not include illness-related information, including COVID-19.
“One fatality in the construction industry is one too many,” said Greg Sizemore, Associated Builders and Contractors vice president of health, safety environment and workforce development, in a statement emailed to the Engineering News-Record. “While the annual report is disappointing, it reveals the important truth that much more work must be done in our industry to protect our people from hazards, strengthen safety cultures in the workplace and improve the total human health of the entire construction workforce.”
Overall, BLS reported the total number of fatal occupational injuries was down 10.7%, falling from 5,333 in 2019 to 4,764 in 2020. The national work fatality rate declined to 3.4 per 100,000 full-time employees from 3.5 in 2019.
