U.S. Construction is Getting Safer

According to Bureau of Labor statistics construction safety is slowly improving.  The construction industry consistently lands among the most dangerous jobs, but the safety numbers are improving. The BLS reported a drop in on-the-job fatalities from 802 in 2010 to 781 in 2011. Looking at a wider range, the numbers are even more promising; in 2008 the number of fatalities was 1,016.  It's not just fatality numbers that are improving, either. Over the same four-year period, the total number of recordable injuries dropped from 4.7 per 100 workers in 2008 to 3.9 per 100 in 2011. Several factors may help explain the improving safety record in the construction industry. First, the federal government passed updated regulations that directed state agencies to come up with and implement safety plans for federally-funded road construction zones. Construction employers have also stepped up their efforts to work with agencies and guidelines such as OSHA (the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act) and the Associated General Contractors of America. On their own and through these partnerships, employers are making an effort to put better safety training and procedures in place. Finally, part of the improvement may just be a result of a general decrease in the total number of construction projects, due to economic conditions over the past few years. Continue reading here.