27/02/2007
More workers are killed on construction jobs than in any other occupation, according to the latest workplace fatality figures from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction fatalities accounted for more than 1 in 5 workplace deaths in the United States in 2005. In addition, construction workers were nearly 3 times more likely to be killed on the job than workers in general.
A total of 5,702 workers suffered fatal injuries at work in 2005, according to preliminary statistics. Of those deaths, 1,186 (or 20.8 percent) were from building-site accidents. Building workers also have one of the highest rates of workplace injuries and illnesses. They suffer more than 11 percent of all injuries, even though they make up only 6 percent of the workforce.

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