28.08.2011

US construction fatalities decline 10%

The Associated General Contractors of America has issued its accident statistics for 2010 with show a further 10 percent decline in the number of fatalities.
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However the numbers are still high at 751 and some of the reduction is related to lower construction activity. Over a third of all fatalities are directly related to falls from heights. In spite of these caveats there were 40 percent fewer accidents than in 2006 when 1,239 workers lost their lives.

The association’s chief executive Stephen E. Sandherr said: “This industry has made safety a top priority in good times and bad, and the new data shows those efforts are helping save lives. But even one fatality is too many, which is why this data also serves as a sombre reminder of the work that still needs to be done.”

“The construction industry has taken a range of steps to improve workplace safety during the past two decades. Safety planning is now considered an essential part of all pre-construction plans. Construction workers also undergo rigorous and on-going safety training both at construction sites and within company training rooms. Many firms also now regularly participate in association-led safety stand-downs, stopping all construction activity during a particular day to hold intense safety training and drills.”

Sandherr cited the work the association has done to train construction workers in fall protection measures in helping cut fatalities from falls from height from 447 in 2007 to 260 in 2010, a 42 percent decline.