You often hear people say that construction is the most dangerous industry in the United States. They may point to the “Fatal Four,” or the top four reasons for fatal accidents in construction: Falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects or being caught between objects or machinery. Many people know someone who has been injured or passed away on the job, while working in construction.
In some senses, construction is the most dangerous occupation. When looking at the total number of serious accidents every year, construction typically ranks the highest and is usually responsible for the most fatal on-the-job accidents. There are many inherent hazards from power tools, heights, electricity, heavy machinery, mistakes made by other workers and much more.
The fatal accident rate
But if you look at it from a different perspective, construction is not actually the most dangerous industry. That title should go to something like agriculture, farming, fishing, hunting, logging and other outdoor pursuits.
These are all vastly smaller industries than construction, but they also have a higher fatal accident rate. There may not be nearly as many fatal accidents or serious injuries every year, simply because some of these industries only have tens or hundreds of thousands of workers, compared to millions of construction workers. But because the total group of workers is smaller, each serious accident counts for a higher percentage, meaning that these industries have a more dangerous accident rate.
Either way you look at the statistics, workers face significant hazards on the job, and those who have suffered injuries must understand exactly what legal steps to take.