CONSTRUCTION STRUCK-BY DEATHS UP 34 % SINCE 2010
by Kerry Clines , Equipment World
Struck-by hazards are one of the Focus Four hazards identified by the U . S . Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) as a leading cause of injuries in construction , according to the Quarterly Data Report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training . The other hazards are falls , caughtin-between injuries , and electrocution . Between 2010 and 2015 , the most recent year for which data is available , the number of deaths resulting from workers being struck by an object , piece of equipment , or vehicle increased 34 percent to 162 . Of these fatalities , 114 were caused by passenger vehicles , primarily those passing near and through highway work zones . Trucks struck and killed 114 workers in the same time frame , followed by multi-purpose highway vehicles at 85 deaths , and construction , logging , and mining machinery at 52 deaths . From 2011 to 2015 , 804 construction workers died from struck-by injuries , more than any other major industry . Of these , 52 percent were struck by an object or equipment , and the rest were struck by a vehicle . Fifty-one percent of fatalities involving being struck by an object or equipment were caused by falling objects or equipment , and 96 percent of non-fatal struck-by injuries were from being struck by an object or equipment .
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SEPTEMBER 2017 • DITCHMEN 11