Caught-in or between injuries killed more construction workers than those in any other industry between 2011 and 2015, according to a new CPWR Quarterly Data Report from the Center for Construction Research & Training.
The injury category includes workers killed when trenches, walls, equipment, or materials collapse, as well as people pinched/compressed between objects and equipment or caught in moving machinery. It is one of OSHA's Focus Four causes of occupational fatalities in the construction industry.
The report, Caught-in/between Injuries and Prevention in the Construction Industry, examines fatality and injury statistics from 2003 to 2015.
Key findings include:
- From 2011 to 2015, 275 construction workers died from caught-in/between injuries, more than any other major industry.
- The 68 construction workers killed in 2015 due to caught-in/between injuries represent a 33% increase from 2011, - higher than the 26% increase in overall fatalities in construction during this period.
- In general, older construction workers had an elevated risk of caught-in/ between fatalities, and workers under 20 years old had an elevated risk of both fatal and nonfatal caught-in/ between injuries.
- More than two in three of caught-in/between fatalities from 2011 to 2015 were due to being caught or crushed in collapsing materials, while about 93% of all nonfatal caughtin/between injuries were caused by equipment or objects.
- Among occupations, ironworkers had the highest rate of caught-in/between fatalities, while helpers had the highest risk of nonfatal caught-in/between injuries.
“These fatalities and injuries are preventable,” said the CPWR in a statement. The report also includes a list of solutions from a variety of sources, including OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and CPWR.that can prevent caught-in/between injuries. Many of the solutions are described in detail in the Construction Solutions database.
