Accidental injuries are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. On average, there are 11,200 disabling accidental injuries every hour during the year. One out of every 10 construction workers is accidentally injured every year. The most common accident at construction sites is falls, either on the same level or from height.
More fatalities occur from falls than any other construction activity.
Ironworkers are the construction trade with the greatest likelihood of being injured on a construction site. More ironworkers are injured during decking operations than any other ironworking activity. In 1995, there were 6,500,000 construction workers in the United States. Among these workers, there were 1,040 deaths and 350,000 disabling injuries. This represents a 4 percent increase over the previous year.