Fall injuries are a serious danger on construction sites

Construction sites can be dangerous places for workers. Fall injuries are one of the leading injury types of construction workers. To help protect themselves, it is helpful for construction workers to be familiar with fall injuries and for them, and their families, to be familiar with protections available to them when they have been injured on the job.

The basics of fall accidents

Fall accidents are a common type of construction accident.

• Fall accidents can occur from a variety of different heights common on a construction site including roofs, scaffolding, ladders, cranes and other heights.

• Common conditions that can lead to workplace falls can include slippery, cluttered and unstable walking surfaces on a job site; unprotected edges; holes in flooring or wall openings; unsafely positions ladders; or misused, or missing, fall protection.

• The construction industry remains the industry with the leading number of fall-related deaths.

• According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics data from 2014, 261,930 private industry and state and local government workers missed one or more days of work due to fall-related injuries. A total of 798 workers died due to falls.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 261,930 private industry and state and local government workers missed one or more days of work due to injuries from falls on the same level or to lower levels1, and 798 workers died from such falls2.

Different protections for construction workers may be available depending on the situation and circumstances. Workers’ compensation protections may be available to the injured worker and, if the injured worker was injured by the negligence of a third party, personal injury damages may also be available to them. Because liability can be complex, it is useful for injured construction workers to have trained guidance to help them understand the legal resources that may be available to help them.