Factors contributing to construction injury at Denver International Airport

Detailed information about factors contributing to construction injury is important to support design of safety programs directed at particular risks.

We linked over 4,000 injury reports, including text describing injury events, with an administrative workers' compensation (WC) database, and, using Haddon's matrix as a framework, classified factors contributing to injury during construction of Denver International Airport (DIA).

Patterns of contributing factors varied according to injury mechanism and type of work: environmental factors contributed more than any other factor to slip/trip injuries, and building materials contributed to more than 40% of injuries to workers in carpentry, concrete construction, glass installation, and roofing. Rates at which factors contributed to injury also varied among types of work: environmental factors contributed at relatively high rates to injuries in glass installation, metal/steel installation and iron/steel erection >or= 2 stories, and victim factors contributed at high rates to conduit construction and metal/steel installation injuries. WC payment rates for different factors varied widely, ranging from $0.53/$100 payroll to $3.08/$100.

This approach allows systematic analysis of classes of injuries, contributing factors, types of work, and other variables to assist in setting prevention priorities.