If you work in construction, it is vital to review the risks you face on the job. Although many different occupational hazards cause construction workers to suffer debilitating injuries, you need to understand the prevalence of falls. Whether you are an electrician, carpenter, painter or you work in another trade, you could fall down for many different reasons.
Taking a look at data on fall-related injuries helps serve as a reminder of how prevalent these falls are.
Statistics on construction falls in the private sector
The Bureau of Labor Statistics published data on construction falls that caused workers in the private sector to miss work. In fact, falls, trips and slips represented 32% of all nonfatal private sector construction injuries that resulted in time off of work in 2019. In 2019, more than 25,000 construction workers had to take time off after falling down.
Data on different types of construction falls
As a construction worker, you could fall down due to slipping on a wet floor or falling off of a ladder. The BLS reports that most construction fall injuries leading to missed work in 2019 involved workers falling to a lower level (13,770). 7,400 of these injuries involved falls on the same level, while 3,620 involved slipping or tripping.
If you suffered an injury after falling down on the job, you could have financial hardships, physical pain and mental trauma. You need to stay focused on recovering and look over your options. For example, depending on the details of your accident, you could have the ability to receive workers’ compensation benefits.