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Construction accounted for about one in five US workplace deaths by 2024, according to the most recent data available.
In 2024, 1,034 construction workers died on the jobaccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of fatal workplace injuries released Thursday. forty one fewer industry workers died in 2024 than the previous year.
But construction had the second-highest gross death toll of any single private industry. The trade, transportation and utilities sector, a broad area that includes retail workers and transportation and warehouse employees, measured 1,298 fatalities in 2024.
In addition, the BLS also measures those in each sector rate of fatal occupational accidentswhich provides details on the hazards of industries based on the size of their workforce.
The construction rate in 2024 measured 9.2 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, a drop of 0.4 from the previous year’s rate. The 2024 rate was fourth highest among prominent industries.
That rate of on-site deaths dropped to the lowest since 2011, but the industry has still seen the number range between nine and 10 for over a decade.
Number of fatalities and death rate by occupation
| industry | Fatalities | Deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers |
|---|---|---|
| construction | 1,034 | 9.2 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 475 | 20.9 |
| Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction | 92 | 13.8 |
| Transport and storage | 865 | 12.2 |
The lower number of construction deaths and its reduced fatality rate followed broader trends in the overall workforce. For all industries in 2024, 5,070 people died at workper BLS, the lowest since 2020. The overall US fatality rate was 3.3 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2024, down from 3.5 in 2023.
Delving into the numbers
Falls, slips and trips accounted for 389 workplace fatalities in 2024, or about 38% of all construction workplace deaths. The hazard remained the industry’s deadliest from previous years.
In construction, transportation incidents—work-related injuries or fatalities that occur when an employee is affected while operating or working around a vehicle—accounted for 244 in 2024, or about 24% of all workplace deaths.
Fatal events or construction exposures in 2024
| cause | Number of deaths of construction workers |
|---|---|
| Falls, slips and trips | 389 |
| Transportation | 244 |
| Exposure to harmful substances, environments | 187 |
| Incidents of contact | 161 |
| Violent acts | 46 |
| Explosions and fires | 5 |
BLS usually releases mortality data, which is delayed by about a year, in December. This year, the government shutdown delayed the publication of the CFOI report in two months from December 18 to Thursday.
The agency publishes data by industry, but also by occupation, which classifies individuals by work performed rather than by the company that employs them. In 2024, construction and mining occupations recorded 1,032 fatal workplace injuries, 23 fewer than in 2023. Of those victims, 788 were construction workers.
Industry response
Chris Trahan Cain, executive director of CPWR, said the 2024 decrease in deaths was due to slightly fewer incidents involving persistent workplace hazards and a small decrease in workplace suicides and overdoses.
“While our industry needs to work harder to eliminate all on-the-job construction worker deaths, we are encouraged that the number and overall fatality rates for 2024 have decreased,” Cain told Construction Dive in an email. “People across the industry must continue to work hard to make sure all workers go home safely every day and to improve the working conditions that contribute to illness, harm well-being and cause early deaths in construction workers.”
Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America, said he found the decline in fatalities and the rate encouraging given that the industry has seen an increase in workers.
“These are particularly encouraging trends in light of increased employment and the retirement of large numbers of experienced workers,” he said.
Joe Xavier, senior director of safety for Associated Builders and Contractors, also welcomed the drop but called for action.
He pointed out ABC’s STEP health and safety management system as a resource that contractors can lean on to better measure worker well-being with a whole-person approach.
“We need to see better gains for the health and safety of construction workers,” Xavier said. “We must do better and now is the time for contractors to proactively assess their own safety culture.”
