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Construction Dangers Top 4 From OSHA – 35% Due To Falls

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Construction Dangers – 35% Due To Falls

Picture Of Construction Dangers Area Signage
Wikimedia Commons – MarkBuckawicki

A report on construction dangers was produced this week by OSHA.  Construction is one of the most expensive groups of classification codes.  This has been the case for many years.  In the early 2000’s some California insurance carriers were charging $170 for every $100 of payroll for roofers.

This situation was very likely due to the  inherent risk involved with a construction boom in the state.

Roofers and multi-level construction always pay extremely high premium rates.  OSHA tallies very accurate figures on death claims.  I had read this article earlier in the year.   We were called into help on four claims earlier in the year where an employee was severely injured due to a fall – almost all exclusively from a ladder.

The following is from OSHA on fatalities.  The 17.6% figure is significant when trying to underwrite the risk.  OSHA was actually able to define four areas where 56% of the construction death occurred in 2011.   They had named the four areas of extreme risk as the “Fatal Four.”

Picture Low Angle View of Window Washers Hanging Construction Dangers Outside
StockUnlimited

According to the BLS, there were 4,188 worker deaths in the US in 2011.   The “Fatal Four” were:

  • Falls – 259 out of 738 total deaths in construction in CY 2011 (35%)
  • Electrocutions – 69 (9%)
  • Struck by Object – 73 (10%)
  • Caught-in/between – 18 (2%)

There were 419 worker death caused by the “Fatal Four” in 2011.  The full breakdown on construction worker deaths can be found here.    The updated numbers actually lower the construction work fatality rate to almost 13% as there were actually 4,693 worker deaths in 2011.

The 2012 preliminary data on fatalities was published recently.  A series of charts on from the BLS indicates that 16 percent of all worker fatalities were in the construction industry – see chart 15.

The 2012 numbers will likely be revised numerous times before producing a final accurate count.

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James J Moore - Workers Comp Expert

Raleigh, NC, United States

About The Author...

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Management Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:

  • Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
  • Entrepreneur Magazine
  • Bloomberg Business News
  • WorkCompCentral.com
  • Claims Magazine
  • Risk & Insurance Magazine
  • Insurance Journal
  • Workers Compensation.com
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