The number of fatal occupational injuries in the nation’s construction industry last year saw a decline of 3.4%, according to new numbers just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Fatal falls, slips, and trips saw a 4.6% decrease. The decline follows a marked increase from 976 during the first year of the Convid-19 outbreak to 1,055 when the pandemic finally receded in 2022.
The decreased construction worker injury rates come as the BLS notes that by far the profession experiencing the highest number of fatalities remains those bunched under the “transportation and material moving occupations” category, which in 2024 saw 1,391 deaths.
In that category, motor vehicle operators have seen consistently high fatality numbers ranging over the past five years from 933 to 1,198.
Building and grounds cleaning occupations were also high, averaging around 350 since 2022; with farming, fishing, and forestry occupations generally ranging between 218 and 274 deaths per year.
While the work may be mentally taxing, those earning wages in computer and mathematical occupations saw some of the lowest fatality rates, ranging from 6 in 2021 to 121 in 2024.
Records on occupational fatalities requiring employers to maintain accurate workplace injuries and fatalities were first extensively compiled in the wake of President Richard Nixon’s signing of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
March 2, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
