Top 5 Costly Construction Injuries & How to Mitigate Them
Sue Drummond
Sue Drummond knows that learning new technology can be intimidating and overwhelming sometimes. That's exactly why her role at SafetyHQ is to teach, guide and customize the fear away. Together with our clients, she sets project priorities, exchanges resources and shares best practices, all in an effort to achieve happier and healthier employees and safer job sites.
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How to...Having a fatal accident on your job site is obviously the most tragic situation and the most costly to the employer. However, workplace injuries which cause an employee to miss more than five days of work, while less physically serious, can also come with a costly burden on the employer.
In fact, disabling injuries cost U.S businesses more than $59 Billion per year. This is determined by combining medical and lost-wage expenses, not even taking into account potential fines and insurance increases.
When I was working for a small residential roofing company, one of our Foremen slipped on a small patch of ice while getting out of his truck at the shop and damaged his achilles tendon.
He required months of physical therapy and was told, until he recovered, he could not walk on sloped surfaces. That’s kind of an issue when you shingle roofs for a living.
As the employer, we were required to offer him modified work at his normal rate of pay. Ever paid someone $35 an hour to sweep your shop? All day? For almost a year?
Top Non-Fatal Construction Injuries
Luckily for you, Liberty Mutual Insurance has put together the most costly, non-fatal injuries in the construction industry, and we have summarized them below:
| Rank | Injury | Cost in Billions | Percent of Total |
| 1 | Falls to Lower Level | $2.5 | 24.1% |
| 2 | Struck by Object or Equipment | $1.7 | 16.7% |
| 3 | Overexertion Involving Outside Sources | $1.48 | 14.2% |
| 4 | Falls on Same Level | $1.36 | 13.1% |
| 5 | Pedestrian Vehicular Incidents | $0.79 | 7.63% |
How to Prevent The Most Costly Injuries at Your Company
Understanding these risks is only the first step to preventing them on your job sites. You also need to train your employees on how to protect themselves from these hazards.
The best way to do that is by conducting Toolbox Talks on topics which relate to each hazard. We have recommended a few from SafetyHQ library for each injury type below.
| Injury | Toolbox Topics |
| Falls to Lower Level | Fall Protection Systems
Ladder Set Up & Use Scaffolding Components Floor Openings |
| Struck by Object or Equipment | Transporting Hand Tools
Trash Disposal Compressor Tools Flying Forms |
| Overexertion Involving Outside Sources | Material Handling
Proper Lifting Ergonomics Working on Knees |
| Falls on Same Level | Wet & Icy Surfaces
Tripping Hazards Unloading Material Housekeeping |
| Pedestrian Vehicular Incidents | Distracted Driving
Vehicle Hand Signals Public Traffic Control Backing Vehicles |
Our clients have access to each of these talks in their account, but you can also reach out to your local trade association or even Google them.
Finally, you should make sure your employees are listening and engaged during training so that the information is retained.
Hopefully, by being better prepared for these workplace hazards, you won’t end up with the most expensive shop hand ever.
To read more about how SafetyHQ makes conducting Toolbox Talks easy, click the button below.
