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Statistics for Construction

Claims by Accident Type, 2006-2008

Claims by Accident Type; (2006 to 2008); 25% Falls; 23% Overexertion; 22% Struck By; 10% Other Bodily Motion; 7% Struck Against; 3% Caught In; 2% MVAs; 2% Repetitive Motion; 7% Other

Top Accident Types: 2006-2008

Rank
Accident Type
Claims
 FRCC
(Fully Reserved
Claims Cost)		 Days Paid Avg FRCC
Avg Days
1
Falls
7,461
$243,883,752
481,311
$32,688
65
2
Overexertion
6,810
$94,078,147
303,654
$13,815
45
3
Struck By
6,622
$76,978,293
178,942
$11,625
27
4
Other Bodily Motion
2,867
$35,811,998
120,382
$12,491
42
5
Struck Against
2,092
$18,779,236
54,388
$8,977
26
6
Caught In
824
$16,211,702
30,841
$19,674
37
7
MVAs
491
$14,647,977
25,191
$29,833
51
8
Repetitive Motion
688
$14,178,701
44,776
$20,609
65
All Other
2,032
$34,883,348
41,371
$17,167
20
TOTAL
29,887
$549,453,155
1,280,856
$18,384
43

NOTES:
* Rank is based on claims cost.
* Definition of FRCC is located below the Mechanism of Injury Sheets by Classification Unit (CUs).

Mechanisms of Injury Sheets

Fall accident types are the most frequent and most costly across the construction sector. Falls represent one quarter of all claim volumes and 44% of all claim costs. The other dominant accident categories in construction are overexertion and struck by. These three mechanisms of injury account for about 70 percent of all claim volumes and 76 percent of all costs.

See sector overview (PDF 932 KB)

FRCC Cost: falls=$243,883,752; overexertion=$94,078,147; struck by=$76,978,293; all other=$134,512, 962. Volume: falls=7,461, overexertion=6,810; struck by=6,622; all other=8,994

Mechanisms of Injury sheets by Classification Unit (CUs)
CU Number Mechanism of Injury
721005 Demolition (PDF 106 KB)
CUs 721009, 721010 & 721011 Concrete Pumping, Placing or Cutting (PDF 846 KB)
721012 Concrete Reinforcing (PDF 932 KB)
721013 Construction General Labour Supply (PDF 1 MB)
721018 Drywalling (PDF 998 KB)
721019 Electrical Work (PDF 1 MB)
721022 Fire & Flood Restoration (PDF 328 KB)
721024 Framing or Residential Forming (PDF 1.1 MB)
721027 House Construction (PDF 1.1 MB)
721028 Building Construction (ICI) (PDF 1.1 MB)
721031 Land Clearing or Site Preparation (PDF 1.1 MB)
721036 Low Slope Roofing (PDF 865 KB)
721041 Painting & Wallpapering (PDF 787 KB)
721042 Plastering or Stucco Work (PDF 858 KB)
721043 Plumbing and Heating Installation/Repair (PDF 1.2 MB)
721049 Siding, Awning, or Gutter Installation (PDF 1.1 MB)
721051 Steep Slope Roofing (PDF 988 KB)
721052 Structural Concrete Forming (PDF 1.0 MB)
722005 Steel Frame Erection (PDF 820 KB)

Note: The Mechanisms of Injury sheets contain cost measures designated as Fully Reserved Claim Costs (FRCC). FRCC include claim payments made to date plus the anticipated future liability associated with these claims. The future liability component is not statistically credible with small aggregations of claims.

Therefore, users should be cautioned that the costs associated with accident characteristics that have few claims could be considered an "order of magnitude" but not a factual representation of their true cost. Actuarial valuations of claims are performed monthly, and these resulting values change from month to month.

Source of data: WorkSafeBC Data Warehouse for 2006--2008 (as of April 30, 2009).

Watch out for hazards: Poster illustrating worker fatalities

This poster graphically illustrates the causes of 249 worker fatalities in the construction industry between 1991 and 2000.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (293 KB)

Prevention Matters: October 22, 2001

This article, originally published in the Journal of Commerce graphically illustrates the most common causes of fatalities in the construction industry. The proportion of work-related deaths has been changing with single-incident deaths decreasing and work-related disease deaths increasing.
Source: WorkSafeBC WorkSafeBC
* PDF (20 KB)
 Date: October 22, 2001

Analysis of Construction Fatalities -- The OSHA DataBase 1985-1989

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/Construction_Fatalities/index.html
"This report presents the results of an analysis of the 3,496 construction fatalities investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and included in the Agency's Integrated Management Information System data base for the period 1985 to 1989." (November 1990)

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