Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzes high rates of non-fatal falls from lower levels
Posted August 2, 2018
In its “TED: The Economics Daily” blog, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) analyzed a segment of work injuries that took place in 2016. The Bureau reported that a total of 2.9 million non-fatal injuries were recorded by private industry employers that year.
The BLS conducted the analysis to obtain information regarding the amount of non-fatal injuries from lower levels. They discovered that in 2016, roofers, and painters were at the highest risk for falls. Roofers reported 86.9 cases for every 10,000 employees, while painters recorded 75 cases for every 10,000. However, out of 57,530 total falls, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers recorded the highest number of falls with 5,140 total falls.
The analysis discovered that construction supervisors fell at a lower rate than their construction workers, but had a higher amount of median days off. Specifically, construction workers experienced 2,470 total falls and averaged 30 days away from work, while supervisors reported 1,260 total falls with an average of 90 days away from work.
For all workers that suffered non-fatal lower level falls, the median days away from work was 19.
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