Crushed/Run-over of operators led all fatal events in the fatal construction case files reported to CIRPC for the fourth
quarter of 2012. There were 35 cases received in the fourth quarter of 2012 (October to December) and Crushed/
Run-over of operators accounted for 14.3% (5 cases) of all the case files. This is more than twice the percentage in
2011 for Crushed/Run-over operators (5.5% or 17 cases) of the fatal events during that year. All types of Crushed/Run
-overs (operator, non-operator, maintenance, and vehicle.) accounted for 31.4% (11 cases) in the fourth quarter case
reports. For 2011 Crushed/Run-overs were 17.7% (55 cases) of the total.
Rounding out the leading fatality causes for the quarter are “Fall from Roof” with 11.4% (4 cases) followed by “Crush/
Run-over of Non-Operator” with 11.4% (4 cases), “Struck by Falling Object” with 11.4% (4 cases), and “Fall from/with
Ladder” with 8.6% (3 cases).
“Struck by Falling Object” experienced the largest increase in percent of cases from the third to fourth quarter with an
increase of 7.4% (4.0% to 11.4%) from the previous quarter. It should be noted, roof falls percentage dropped (17.5%
to 11.4%), but all fall type fatalities still accounted for one-third of all the fatality categories.
Given the limited number of observations, the quarterly variations may be of limited significance.
Crushed/Run-over of Operators Leads All Fatal Events
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
2012: Year in
Review 2-3
Regional Review 4
Cited Violations 4
Trends in
Fatalities
5
The Worker Safety
and Health App
5
Summary of
Events
6
C O N S T R U C T I O N
I N D U S T R Y R E S E A R C H
A N D P O L I C Y C E N T E R
Construction Fatality Digest
Q U A R T E R L Y R E P O R T O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2
Topics of Interest:
Fatality Case File
Statistics
Case File Regional
Report
Top Standards
Violated
Summary of Fatal
Events
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
Top Fatal Construction Events by Percent Distribution(October - December 2012 and 2011)
October - December 2012 2011
P A G E 2
“Roof falls led all
fatal events in both
2011 and again in
2012…”
2012: The Year in Review
There were 226 cases files reported to CIRPC for the calendar year. As in 2011, roof falls led
all fatal events in 2012 with 17.7% of the total fatal events.
Rounding out the top events for 2012 are “Crush/Run-Over of Operator” with 8.4%, “Crush/
Run-Over of Non-Operator with 8.0%, “Electrocution by Equipment Contacting Wire” at
6.6%, and “Fall from/with Ladder with 6.2% of the total fatal events.
When comparing the top three fatal events from 2011 (“Fall from Roofs”, “Electrocution from
Equipment Installation/Tool Use”, and “Fall from/with Structure”) with 2012 events, one can
see some fairly large changes for these events. In 2012 “Electrocution from Equipment Instal-
lation/Tool Use fell from 7.7% in 2011 to 3.5% in 2012. Likewise, “Fall from/with Structure”
fell from 7.4% in 2011 to 4.0% in 2012. Ranking 2nd in 2012, “Crush/Run-Over of Operator”
rose from 5.5% (2011) to 8.4% (2012). “Crushed/Run-Over of Non-Operator”, which ranked
3rd in 2012, rose from 5.2% (2011) to 8.0%(2012). They ranked 5th and 7th, respectively, on
the 2011 list.
Falls again topped the list of grouped total events with more than one-third (36.7%) of all the
fatal events in 2012. Crush/run-overs (17.7%) and electrocutions (13.3%)rounded out the top
three of all fatal events.
0.0%
4.0%
8.0%
12.0%
16.0%
20.0%
Fatal Construction Events by Percent Distribution (2012 and 2011)
2012 2011
2012: The Year in Review - Continued
P A G E 3 O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R
Grouped Events 2011 2012
All Falls 42.9% 36.7%
All Crush/Run-Overs 23.9% 17.7%
All Electrocutions 13.2% 13.3%
Grouped Fatal Construction Events Comparison
It is important to note the case reports summarized in this year end total do not constitute the universe of cases.
Despite these limitations we believe the picture given in these reports is a representative, if not statistically significant,
sample of the construction fatality universe.
0.0%
4.0%
8.0%
12.0%
16.0%
20.0%
Fatal Construction Events by Percent Distribution (2012 and 2011)Continued from Previous Chart
2012 2011
P A G E 4
The “General
Safety and Health
Provisions” was
the top violated
standard in the
fourth quarter .
Regional Map
Top Construction Standard Violations
Regional Breakdown A total of 35 case reports were re-
ceived from the regions in the fourth
quarter of 2012. Of these 35 reports,
a little more than 42% came from re-
gion 5 (15 reports), 7 came from re-
gion 4, and 5 from region 6.
Of the 15 from region 5, 10 were re-
ceived from the State Plan Michigan
Offices, followed by Fairview Heights
with 3 cases.
The 7 from region 4 were spread out
within the region with Jackson leading
with 3 cases.
The 35 cases reported to CIRPC included 76 violations of OSHA standards. Of the 35, 10 reported no viola-
tions. With the 10 cases without violations removed, the average number of violations per case with citations
issued was 3.04. This compares to an average of 3.25 for the previous quarter. This is the third quarter in a
row that the average dropped (first quarter of 2012 was 3.53).
When comparing the quarterly violations with OSHA’s Top 10 standards violated in FY2011 (per
www.osha.gov), there are similarities and differences. Three of the most frequently violated OSHA standards
can be found on the quarterly report list (Fall Protection, Electrical Systems Design, and Ladders).
The “General Safety and Health Provisions” was the top violated standard in the fourth quarter and experi-
enced the greatest jump in positions from the previous quarter (from 8th to 1st). Fall Protection ranked no
lower than third during the three previous quarters of 2012.
Region # of Cases Percent Region # of Cases Percent
1 1 2.9% 1 6 1.9%
2 0 0.0% 2 11 3.5%
3 0 0.0% 3 46 14.8%
4 7 20.0% 4 96 31.0%
5 15 42.9% 5 22 7.1%
6 5 14.3% 6 103 33.2%
7 4 11.4% 7 14 4.5%
8 3 8.6% 8 10 3.2%
9 0 0.0% 9 2 0.6%
10 0 0.0% 10 0 0.0%
Total 35 100.0% 310 100.0%
Case Files by Region
Oct to Dec 2012 2011
Rank Std # Description # of Occurrences
1 1926.20 General Safety and Health Provisions 11
2 1926.600 Vehicles, Mechanized Equip., & Marine Operations 8
3 1926.501 Fall Protection 7
4 5a1 General Duty Clause 6
T5 1904.39 Fatality and Multiple Hospitalization Reporting 4
T5 1926.21 Safety Training and Education 4
T7 1926.405 Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment 3
T7 1926.503 Fall Protection Training 3
T9 1926.1053 Ladders 2
T9 1926.1060 Ladder Training 2
Top Standard Violations Reported During Oct. to Dec. 2012
Trends in Fatalities: Breakdown of 1995-2011 Fatal Falls
P A G E 5 O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R
Since the early 1990’s, CIRPC has undertaken
an annual analysis of fatal construction events1.
Each of the years the fall events accounted for
between 33% and 44% of all fatal events. The
chart to the right uses the annual report data
from 1995 to 2011 to breakdown the fall
events by type,
It may be no surprise that “Roof” falls led all
the other causes with 31%, followed by falls
from “Structure” with 23%, “Ladder” falls at
12%, and “Scaffold” at 10% of the total fall
events.
The Construction Industry Research and Policy Center (CIRPC) and its partner, the Department of Industrial and Systems Engi-
neering (ISE) at The University of Tennessee, recently won the $15,000 Grand Prize awarded by OSHA in The Worker Safety
and Health App Challenge. This national challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and OSHA, encouraged
developers to create applications focused on raising awareness and educating workers on common workplace hazards and their
rights to a safe workplace. This challenge targeted young workers ages 13-24 because they comprise one of the most vulnerable
worker groups.
CIRPC advocates for construction safety in its role as an OSHA contractor and saw this challenge as an opportunity to further its
safety mission and reach a broader audience with more general information.
Keeping the young target audience in mind, our team created a website featuring a light-hearted interactive game. In the game,
users evaluate the relative probabilities of interesting events (e.g. dating a supermodel vs. being struck by lightning). After this hu-
morous introduction to probability, the user hopefully understands that probabilities are influenced by many factors. Our goal is to
communicate that the chances of a workplace accident can be reduced by knowing safety regulations and following common safety
practices. The site also provides additional information on the rights of young workers through links to numerous web resources.
A companion Facebook page was created to help spread the word that...
The Worker Safety and Health App Challenge
1 CIRPC’s An Analysis of Fatal Events in the Construction Industry uses the data collected in IMIS from the fatal construction event case files. The
report categorizes and ranks the fatality causes, project types, end uses, etc. Reports from 1991 to 2010 can be found on the CIRPC website:
www.bus.utk.edu/cirpc.
Our site can be found at: http://ilab.engr.utk.edu/cirpc/index.html Like us on Facebook and help us spread the word that Work-
ing Safely Is No Accident: http://www.facebook.com/WorkingSafelyIsNoAccident
Ladder12%
Roof31%
Vehicle2%
Scaffold10%
Bucket/Lift6%
Structure23%
Platform6%
Opening7%
Other3%
Fatal Falls by Cause for 1995-2011
Summary of Fatal Events
P A G E 6 O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R
CATEGORY: STRUCK BY, RUN OVER, CRUSHED BY OPERATING CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT/VEHICLE
OSHA Inspection Number: 313322224
A 57 year old construction laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by an excavator. The victim was engaged in stream
restoration and rock replacement. The victim moved too close to an excavator that was moving rock and was struck by it.
The employer was cited for lack of an accident prevention plan, lack of barricades, and 5 additional violations not directly re-
lated to the event.
OSHA Inspection Number: 534479
A construction laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a dump truck. The victim had crossed the highway to re-
trieve a 70 MPH sign and while carrying the sign back, he walked behind a backing dump truck. No citations were issued.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313272684
A 37 year old construction laborer was fatally injured when he was crushed by an aerial lift. The victim was painting a steel
beam, when he raised the lift and caught himself between it and the beam. The employer was cited for lack of training for the
lift and not using it according to manufacturer specifications.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313316674
A 35 year old construction laborer was fatally injured when he was struck and run-over by a backhoe. The victim was enter-
ing/exiting the cab of the excavator when the backhoe moved and he was caught between the step grate and the left tire. The
employer was cited for lack of an accident prevention plan, not maintaining equipment, and using damaged equipment.
OSHA Inspection Number: 544722
A 46 year old truck driver was fatally injured while transporting a load of steel pipes. The victim was traveling down a steep
hill, when he suddenly slammed on the brakes. The straps on the load broke and the pipes shifted forward, crushing the
truck’s cab and the victim. No citations were issued.
OSHA Inspection Number: 485138
An equipment operator was fatally crushed when the compactor he was operating overturned. The victim was compacting a
new shoulder of a road-widening project, when he either drove too closely to the edge or the soil gave way, causing the com-
pactor to flip over. The employer was cited for not furnishing a work site free from hazards and lack of hazard recognition
training.
OSHA Inspection Number: 548478
A truck driver was fatally injured when the dump bed failed, collapsed and crushed him. The victim was dumping a load of top
soil, when the dump bed failed and collapsed onto the cab, crushing the victim. The employer was not cited.
OSHA Inspection Number: 485578
A 42 year old construction laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a motor vehicle. The victim stepped out of his
truck to measure rumble strips, when he was struck by a vehicle that had lost control. No citations were issued.
OSHA Inspection Number: 558438
A 22 year old laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a motor vehicle. The victim was using a Georgia Buggy to
spray curing agent on the road repair, when he accidentally backed his buggy into a lane of traffic and was struck. The em-
ployer was cited for lack of an accident prevention program and lack of hazard recognition training.
OSHA Inspection Number: 316282268
A 39 year old operations manager was fatally injured when he was struck by a motor vehicle. The victim was pushing equip-
ment across the street, when he was struck. The employer was cited for not reporting the fatal event within 8 hours.
Summary of Fatal Events (Continued)
P A G E 7
OSHA Inspection Number: 439353
A 38 year old laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a motor vehicle. The victim and co-workers were on the side
of the road, working on an arrow board, when a vehicle struck him. No citations were issued.
CATEGORY: ROOF FALLS
OSHA Inspection Number: 540678
A 22 year old Hispanic roofer was fatally injured when he fell through a skylight. The victim was walking backwards and pull-
ing roofing membrane for a flat commercial re-roof job, when he fell 20 feet through a skylight. The employer was cited for
lack of fall protection.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313322364
A 31 year old roofer was fatally injured when he fell from a roof. The victim was attempting to repair a leak on a 16/12 pitch
home, when the ladder (on the shingled roof) he was on slid down the roof, causing him to fall 25 feet to the ground below.
The employer was cited for lack of fall protection, splicing ladders together, no accident prevention plan, and not reporting
the fatal event within 8 hours.
OSHA Inspection Number: 432790
An owner/roofer was fatally injured when he fell through a roof opening. The victim was replacing a metal roof on a commer-
cial building, when he stepped into a hole and fell 25 feet. The employer was not cited because he was the victim.
OSHA Inspection Number: 476959
A 34 year old sheet metal worker was fatally injured when he fell through a skylight. The victim was removing and replacing
skylights on a maintenance shop, when he lost his balance and fell through a skylight. The employer was cited for lack of fall
protection.
CATEGORY: LADDER FALLS
OSHA Inspection Number: 313286866
A Hispanic roofer was fatally injured when he fell from a ladder. The roofer was climbing the ladder to shingle a new house
when he fell 24 feet from the ladder. The employer was cited for lack of ladder training, not having the ladder extended 3
feet above the landing, and 2 violations not directly related to the event.
OSHA Inspection Number: 331162
A 55 year old painter was fatally injured when he fell from a ladder. The victim was applying touch-up paint to the exterior
wall of a condominium, when he fell from the ladder striking his head on the ground. The employer was cited for failure to
train in ladder usage.
OSHA Inspection Number: 672238
A 63 year old Hispanic laborer was fatally injured when he fell from a ladder. The victim was climbing a job-made ladder when
a rung came off in his hand, causing him to lose his balance and fall 13 feet. The employer was cited for not having a compe-
tent person inspection.
CATEGORY: OTHER FALLS
OSHA Inspection Number: 455074
A 54 year old operating engineer was fatally crushed between two barges. The victim had just finished connecting the bow
line and was walking to the rear to connect the stern line, when he fell from the deck and was crushed between two barges.
The employer was cited for not having safe passage around a deck load on a boat.
OSHA Inspection Number: 316248327
A 59 year old welder was fatally injured when he fell from a scaffold. The victim was welding inside a new tank, when he fell
55 feet to the bottom of the tank. The employer was cited for lack of inspection of fall protection equipment and improper
anchorage (couldn't support minimum weight amount).
Summary of Fatal Events (Continued)
P A G E 8 O C T O B E R — D E C E M B E R
OSHA Inspection Number: 358438
A 50 year old tile layer was fatally injured when the stairs he was standing on collapsed. The victim was pre-positioning his
equipment to start laying floor on the third level of an apartment, when he fell with the stairs. No citations were issued, be-
cause the victim was the owner of the company.
OSHA Inspection Number: 316068535
A 30 year old laborer was fatally injured from a fall from a tower. The victim was installing a new ladder on the tower, when
he fell 1000 feet. The employer was cited for lack of fall protection, hoist not inspected/maintained per manual, damaged
slings, and 5 additional violations not directly related to the event.
OSHA Inspection Number: 389723
A supervisor was fatally injured when he fell from a platform. The victim lost his balance and fell into the guard rails of the
platform, the rails gave way and the victim fell 18 feet. No citations were issued.
CATEGORY: ELECTROCUTIONS
OSHA Inspection Number: 526841
A construction laborer was fatally electrocuted while changing a filter in an attic of a law office. The victim sat down on the
duct work to change the filter, when the duct work made contact with a metal gas line that had been energized by a 120 volt
line. The employer was cited for lack of electrical training and not having a hazard communication plan.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313280059
A 60 year old construction laborer was fatally electrocuted in a crawl space of a single family home. The victim was perform-
ing demolition of old water pipes (under the home) and made contact with old power lines. The employer was cited for lack
of an accident prevention plan and not locking out the power source.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313336018
A 32 year old roofer was fatally electrocuted when he made contact with an over-head power line. The victim was installing
an 18 foot section of trim on a new metal roof, when part of the trim made contact with the power line. The employer was
cited for not having an accident prevention plan, working too close to a power line, and 2 additional violations not related to
the event.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313286569
A 46 year old construction laborer was fatally electrocuted. The victim was moving security monitoring equipment and power
lines in a grocery store, when he made contact with an energized line. The employer was cited for exposure to electrical haz-
ards, lack of a competent person inspection, no lock-out tag-out usage, and not reporting the fatality within 8 hours.
CATEGORY: OTHER FATALITY CAUSES
OSHA Inspection Number: 313313314
A 45 year old construction laborer was fatally asphyxiated while in a manhole. The victim was measuring the manhole depth
when he was overcome by toxic vapors and fell to the bottom. The employer was cited for no accident prevention plan, no
atmosphere testing, and lack of fall protection.
OSHA Inspection Number: 313331266
A 50 year old construction laborer was fatally injured when he fell from a wooden structure. The victim was part of a crew
using a crane to set trusses, when the trusses fell knocking the victim from the structure. The employer was cited for lack of
fall protection, no fall protection training, not furnishing a work site free from hazards, and 5 additional violations not directly
related to the event.
OSHA Inspection Number: 495498
A crane operator was fatally injured when the crane he was operating toppled over. The victim was
lifting a concrete wall which overloaded the crane, causing it to collapse and crash onto the operator.
The employer was cited for operating equipment in excess of rated capacities.
Summary of Fatal Events (Continued)
P A G E 9
OSHA Inspection Number: 446957
A 30 year old electrician was fatally injured when a steel column fell on him. The victim was passing conduit up to other elec-
tricians on the school addition, when ironworkers above him were setting a steel beam. As the beam was set, it started to tip
and then fell, striking the victim. The ironworker's employer was cited for not furnishing a work site free from hazards, lack of
a competent person inspection, and failure to secure engineering approval prior to replacing or repairing anchor rods.
OSHA Inspection Number: 283460
A 65 year old laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a falling pipe. The victim was vacuuming water out of an exca-
vation at a refinery, when a pipe unthreaded and fell, striking the victim in the head. The employer was not cited for any viola-
tions.
OSHA Inspection Number: 283543
A carpenter was fatally injured when he fell with his aerial lift. The victim was performing form work when a pipe piling struck
his lift, causing it to overturn. The employer was cited for failure to furnish a work site free from hazards, an incomplete safe-
ty program, and lack of hazard recognition training.
OSHA Inspection Number: 484098
A 47 year old laborer was fatally injured when he was struck by a pipe wrench. The victim was attempting to remove an end
cap from a boring machine pipe, when the pipe spun causing the wrench to strike the victim. The employer was cited for not
furnishing a work site free from hazards and not having a person trained in first aid on site.
OSHA Inspection Number: 600378
A construction laborer was fatally injured when a load of roof trusses fell onto him. The victim was unloading two stacks of
roof trusses when he cut the banding tape on one stack and the trusses fell. The employer was cited for failure to train in
hazard recognition.
Construction Industry Research and Policy Center
The University of Tennessee
Stokely Management Center, Room 202
916 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
Phone: 865-974-4422
E-mail: [email protected]
We maintain, for OSHA, a comprehensive collection of construction fa-
tality case files. The efforts of OSHA area offices in submitting fatality
case files are crucial to expanding our database and research capabilities.
Thanks to all for your submissions (For reference, you may send fatality
case files to the address on the right).
We encourage all area offices to continue and/or expand their submis-
sions so that the database is as representative as possible of the geo-
graphic, ethnic, and workplace events.
We welcome any suggestions and comments (they can be directed to
John Wagner, [email protected]) as we work together to reduce fatal
construction events. Visit our new redesigned
website!
bus.utk.edu/cirpc
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