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Acts & Facts

In an average 12-month period, there are 1,171 deaths and 480,600 injuries and illnesses in the construction industry. A large number of these deaths resulted from falls from roofs, scaffolds, ladders, building girders, and other types of structures. Men, the self-employed, and "older" workers suffered injuries more often than others did. At least 40% of these fatalities were among 17-year olds.

Construction is a hazardous industry. How hazardous?

• It ranks in the lower half of all industries for safety.
• There are 16 times more injuries than in the chemical or steel industries.
• There are 7 times more injuries than in the cement industry
• There are 4 times more injuries than in the shipbuilding industry.

According to AMERISAFE's records, the most frequent and costly construction accidents are from:

• Falls from heights
• Falling objects
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Muscle strains
• Lifting, carrying, and stacking 

Another hazardous industry is logging. In the not so distant past, loggers in the Southern states were some of the nation's highest "at-risk" workers for injury or death on the job. In fact:

• One logger was killed each week.
• Ten loggers suffered major permanent partial disabilities each week.   
• Nine loggers suffered minor permanent partial disabilities each week.
• Seventy loggers suffered temporary total disabilities each week.
• One hundred loggers suffered injuries requiring medical treatment
• Every two weeks a logger is permanently disabled

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, logging was the second most hazardous industry from 1992-1996. In 1997, the logging industry surpassed the fishing industry with 128 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to five per 100,000 for all other occupations. Most of these deaths occured in four occupational groups - fellers, choker setters, limbers, and buckers. Almost 90% of these deaths involved trees, logs, snags, or limbs. In addition to having the highest fatality rate, logging has a workplace injury rate of more than 14,000 injuries per 100,000 full-time employees. This is compared to 8,000 per 100,000 for all other industries.

Truck driving, as well as logging, is as dangerous as construction. Statistics show truck driving has one of the highest numbers of fatalities in all occupations due to highway crashes and jackknives. However, these same statistics show that truckers are more likely to get injured around the truck versus in an on-the-road accident. Here's how it looks:

• 15% involve falls
• 15% involve working with the load
• 8% involve working on or around the truck
• 5% involve lifting, carrying, or stacking
• 39% involve various other types of accidents

The remaining 18% of injuries sustained by truckers are a result of vehicle accidents. However, most of the claims our clients experience involve the following:

• Slipping while getting in or out of the cab
• Slipping while getting on or off of the trailer
• Loading and unloading
• Securing and unsecuring the load

AMERISAFE published three pamphlets titled "Acts & Facts" for the construction, logging, and transportation industries. These pamphlets describe real accidents and loss prevention measures, which we hope will raise awareness of the consequences of unsafe acts. For more Acts & Facts information, contact our Safety Department at 800-256-9052 or email us at safety@amerisafe.com.