Data reveals 26 percent increase in fatal work-related falls from 2011 to 2016

697 workers died in falls to a lower level in 2016

Posted May 9, 2018

As OSHA holds its National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction during the week of May 7-11, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) delved into the data from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. The BLS found that fatal work-related falls to a lower level increased 26 percent from 2011 to 2016.

In 2011, 533 workers died in falls to a lower level; in 2016, that number increased to 697. The data show that the number of fatal falls to a lower level rose each year starting in 2011 except for 2015. During the six-year period, there were 3,723 fatal falls to a lower level.

The BLS points out that more than half of the fatal falls to a lower level occurred in the private construction industry. Deaths from falls to a lower level in this industry increased from 255 workers in 2011 to 370 workers in 2016, a 45-percent increase. For all other industries combined, the increase was 10 percent.

The BLS also looked at the primary sources of falls to a lower level, which are the objects or surfaces from which workers fall. According to the BLS, falls from ladders were the most common sources of worker falls, with 836 fatal injuries involving falls from ladders. Falls from roofs accounted for 763 deaths.

The table below presents the data by source and height of fall from 2011 to 2016.

Height	Ladders	Roofs	Vehicles	Scaffolds, staging	Machinery	Trees	Stairs, steps	All other sources
Over 30 feet	29	127	62	93	81	81	4	181
26–30 feet	27	100	19	26	19	20	2	50
21–25 feet	59	130	16	43	14	12	3	45
16–20 feet	109	146	27	48	33	16	6	46
11–15 feet	145	151	49	50	23	6	14	93
6–10 feet	174	41	63	50	20	7	20	85
Under 6 feet	87	—	127	18	21	1	40	108
Height not specified	206	67	53	59	29	32	67	142

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