The Top 5 Industries Where Most Falls Occur

Detailed data on falls in the workplace are maintained and analyzed by several organizations, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Because there are so many ways to group and analyze workplace injuries and data, determining which industries incur the highest rates of work-related falls is more complex than a simple incident count.

Here, we will examine in broad strokes the top 5 industries in terms of fatal and non-fatal falls. For brevity and clarity, we will define a “fall” as a fall from a higher to a lower level (greater than or equal to 4 feet). Same-level falls are not addressed. All data is for the U.S. only.

CONSTRUCTION

Nearly any way one examines the data, the construction industry leads the field in fall statistics. According to the 2010 BLS figures for fatal falls by industry, construction accounted for 260 fall-related fatalities, followed sequentially by transportation (92), manufacturing (43), mining (41), and agriculture (31). Falls from ladders, roofs, and scaffolds accounted for nearly two-thirds of fatal falls in the construction industry for that period. Falls from ladders accounted for most of these incidents, followed by scaffolds, vehicles, and roofs. The highest number of these fatalities occurred among younger workers. When looking at nonfatal workplace falls, construction remains at the top of the list, with 208,470 non-fatal workplace falls in 2010. The active and ever changing environment of the typical construction site makes the identification and risk-reduction of fall-related hazards problematic. Recent moves, such as newly enacted OSHA regulations regarding fall protection in residential home construction, aim to reduce the number of both fatal and non-fatal construction related falls.

TRANSPORTATION

The transportation industry consistently ranks second in fatal and non-fatal workplace falls. In 2010, there were 92 fatal falls in the transportation industry. Over a decade earlier, in 1999, figures from the U.S. Department of Labor showed 53.2 fall-related deaths per 100,000 full-time workers for that year, second to 68.5 per 100,000 workers for the construction industry (see it on the BLS website – TED: The Editor’s Desk). Improvements in overhead fall restraint and prevention, such as portable fall-protection systems, aim to reduce the numbers of fall-related deaths and injuries in the transportation industry.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing remains consistently in the top 5 with 43 fall-related deaths reported in 2010. This figure does not include fatal falls incurred in warehousing (41), wholesale (14), or retail distribution and trade (35). The 1999 figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show 25.7 non-fatal falls per 100,000 full-time workers in the manufacturing sector.

MINING

The mining industry accounted for 41 fall-related deaths in 2010 and consistently ranks 4th or 5th among industries with the highest rates of fall-related deaths and injuries. The 1999 figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show 37.6 non-fatal falls per 100,000 full-time workers in the mining industry.

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture remains among the top 5 in fall-related workplace deaths, with 31 incidents occurring in 2010. Falls from structures, machinery, and vehicles were the most common. This figure does not include forestry, fishing, or hunting statistics.

NOTE:
A few surprises emerged from the data, among them that the real estate and leasing industry accounted for 15 fall-related deaths in 2010. Also, the leisure and hospitality industry accounted for 24 fall-related deaths in 2010. These figures identify a need for fall protection equipment in these industries.

Thank you for reading,

Michael Evanko
Marketing Manager