Construction last year counted the highest number of workplace deaths in the sector since 2011, according to newly released federal data. At the same time, the rate at which construction workers died on the job remained unchanged.
Construction had 1,075 fatalities in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released Thursday. The BLS measured a fatal work injury rate of 9.6 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, the same rate as a year ago.
The fatal injury rate in construction has hovered at around 10 for over a decade.
Meanwhile, the BLS found falls, slips and trips — some of the deadliest hazards in the industry every year — counted for 421, or 39.2%, of all construction fatalities.
The BLS reported that construction had the highest number of deaths of any private industry. However, it also listed 1,454 deaths in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, a broad area that includes retail workers and transportation and warehouse employees.
By the numbers
In total, 5,283 U.S. employees died at work last year, the BLS found, which meant about one in five occupational deaths in 2023 occurred at construction workplaces.
The construction industry’s fatality rate, however, ranked third, behind agriculture, fishing, forestry and hunting (20.3) and transportation and warehousing (12.9).
Drilling down into the data, the majority of fatal falls in construction — 260 or 64.4% — were from a height between 6 feet and 30 feet. Portable ladders and stairs were the primary source of 109 construction fatalities, the BLS said.
After falls, transportation incidents were the second highest cause of death, with 240 workplace fatalities. Transportation incidents record work-related injuries or fatalities that occur when an employee is impacted while operating or working around a vehicle.
Fatal events or exposures in construction in 2023
| Cause | Number of construction worker deaths |
|---|---|
| Falls, slips and trips | 421 |
| Transportation incidents | 240 |
| Exposure to harmful substances, environments | 200 |
| Contact incidents | 148 |
| Violent Acts | 46 |
| Explosions and fires | 17 |
SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics
BLS releases data both on the industry — which records the type of business for whom someone works — and occupation — which puts more stock into what kind of work a person performs.
In construction and extraction occupations, the fatality rate decreased modestly, from 13.0 in 2022 to 12.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023. In terms of raw numbers, 1,055 construction and extraction workers died in 2023, one fewer than the year before. Of those fatalities, 809 were construction tradesworkers.
Construction had the most fatalities among all industry sectors in 2023
Demographic breakdown
The overall fatality rate for U.S. workers in all industries was about 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. For some groups, those rates were higher.
For example, the fatal injury rate for Black or African-American workers in all industries was 3.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023, higher than the nationwide average, but also lower than the rate of 4.2 a year prior.
Meanwhile, Hispanic or Latino workers in all industries had a fatality rate of 4.4. Again, that was lower than the prior year (4.6), but higher than the nationwide average. Of the 1,250 Hispanic or Latino workers who died on the job in 2023, 839 were foreign-born, according to the BLS.
“More than 5,200 deaths on the job is still way too many,” Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement. “We are also deeply concerned that Black and Brown workers continue to suffer from a higher rate of occupational fatalities, a sign of the persistent effects of discrimination in our workplaces.”
National COSH also called attention to the number of deaths not counted as part of the report. For example, many workers die due to long-term exposure to occupational hazards, and a recent Tampa Bay Times report uncovered a large number of heat illness deaths in Florida went unreported.
When it came to age groups, workers aged 55 to 64 years had the most at-work deaths at 1,089, though the groups of 35 to 44 years and 45 to 54 years also each counted over 1,000 occupational deaths.
Finally, the vast majority of those who died at work in the U.S. were men, as women accounted for 8.5% of all workplace fatalities.
Industry response
Construction is hazardous work, and employers know it. Leaders in the industry have sought to find new ways to record, understand and prevent serious injuries and fatalities, as researchers study methods to improve personal protective equipment in case disaster strikes.
Still, industry leaders acknowledge there is work to be done.
“Today’s data is a grim reminder of the challenge our industry faces when it comes to ensuring the health and safety of the men and women who build America,” said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America.
He said the AGC offers safety training for fall protection, launched a trenching safety coalition and continues to pressure state and federal officials to improve safety in highway work zones.
“Nobody should be at risk in this industry, which is why we and our members will not rest until we crack this challenge,” Turmail said. “In the meantime, we grieve with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in our industry.”
Greg Sizemore, vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development for Associated Builders and Contractors, also called upon employers to utilize the tools at their disposal to train, equip and empower their employees to recognize risk.
“Unfortunately, we are not seeing the gains or progress that we would consider favorable for the health and safety of construction workers,” Sizemore said. “We must also be relentless in ensuring every employee arrives and leaves jobsites in the same or better condition than ever before.”
