Machinery-related fatalities in the construction industry

The National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) surveillance system identified machinery-related incidents as the fourth leading cause of traumatic occupational fatalities in the U.S. construction industry between 1980 and 1992, resulting in 1,901 deaths and 2.13 deaths per 100,000 workers. Fatality rates declined 50% over the study period. Workers in three occupation divisions-precision production, craft, and repair; transportation and material moving; and handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and laborers-had both the highest frequency and rate of fatalities. Cranes, excavating machinery, and tractors were the machines most frequently involved. The most common incident types were: struck by a mobile machine; overturn; and struck by a boom. Further delineation of groups at highest risk for machinery-related injuries is complicated by a lack of data on exposure to machinery. The findings suggest that injury prevention programs should focus not only on machine operators, but on those who work on foot around machines.