Construction work, always important to the economies of Indiana and Illinois, is considered essential during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Construction workers make vital contributions as skilled professionals in a variety of trades and specialties, and they do so in the face of well-recognized dangers on the job site. Long before the risk of exposure to COVID-19, the construction industry has earned a longstanding reputation as one of the most hazardous places to earn a living in our part of the country, as well as across the nation.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 14 deaths each day involving workers on the job site, and among these worker fatalities, 21.1% are at work in construction.
This translates into the sobering reality that one in five worker deaths occurs in the construction industry.
For more about the dangers of working construction, read: Construction Fall Accidents in Indiana or Illinois: Great Danger of Fatal Injury in a Fall on the Job; Construction Worker’s Danger of Being Hurt or Killed on the Job: High Risk and Little Protection; and Construction Workers in Indiana and Illinois Deserve Respect for Working One of the Most Dangerous of Jobs.
Struck-By Injuries: One of the Leading Causes of Permanent Injury or Death on the Construction Site
Fatality studies have shown that certain types of risks cause construction worker deaths time and again, despite employer awareness of workers being vulnerable to these deadly risks on the site. Four specific construction site injuries are notorious for causing fatal harm across the industry.
The Four Biggest Fatality Risks Facing Construction Workers
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these “fatal four” involve: falls; electrocution, caught-in-between, and struck-by object incidents; collectively labelled the “Construction Focus Four” by safety advocates. Of these four, “struck-by object” injuries are one of the deadliest types of accidents that threaten construction workers on the job.
These accidents are usually serious and often deadly. In October 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that construction site struck-by injuries are not only the leading cause of nonfatal injuries on construction sites, they are the 2nd most common cause of death for construction workers on the job in our country.
What is a Struck-by Injury or a Struck-By-Object Accident?
Within this bodily injury category, “struck-by-object” accidents involve a variety of risks, categorized as one of four types: (1) struck by a flying object; (2) struck by a falling object; (3) struck by a swinging or slipping object; or (4) struck by a rolling object.
Definition of Struck-by Injury
OSHA instructors are given the following definition of a “struck-by injury” for use in training, distinguishing these types of accidents from those involving “caught” events:
Struck-by injuries are produced by forcible contact or impact between the injured person and an object or piece of equipment. Having said that, it is important to point out that in construction, struck-by hazards can resemble caught–in or –between hazards.
There is a distinction which is best explained by looking at the key factor in making a determination between a Caught event and a Struck event, ask: Was it the impact of the object alone that caused the injury? When the impact alone creates the injury, the event is considered as Struck. On the other hand, when the injury is created more as a result of crushing injuries between objects, the event is considered as Caught.
Four Types of Construction Struck-By Accidents
On any construction site in Indiana or Illinois, workers must be aware of the ever-present risk they face of being severely injured in a struck-by accident, understanding these can happen in four different ways:
1. Struck By a Flying Object
From OSHA, a “flying object hazard” exists when something has been thrown, hurled, or is being propelled across space. This can include instances when a piece of material separates from a tool, machine or other equipment, striking a worker, resulting in injuries or fatality. Also, a hazard exists if an object is ejected under power by a tool or equipment usually designed for that purpose, such as a nail from a nail gun.
Examples include: (1) a construction worker removing a frozen bolt from the track of a caterpillar front end loader and is struck-by a bolt that entered his forehead; or (2) a construction worker freeing a pump component under pressure and is impaled by the pump component.
2. Struck By a Falling Object
From OSHA, a “struck by a falling object” accident occurs when the source of injury is falling from an elevation to a lower level, including instances where the injured person is crushed, pinned, or caught under a falling object, other than collapsing material or structures, resulting from being struck by a falling object or equipment.
Examples include: (1) a construction worker tearing down a transmission structure using a digger-derrick when a pole broke, striking him on the head; (2) a construction worker struck by a load of wall panels that fell off his truck; (3) four construction workers tasked with rebuilding a bridge that had washed out by floods injured when a crane boom cable breaks and the boom falls on them; and (4) a construction worker cutting an 8,000-lb boiler in sections with a cutting torch, when the section being cut falls off allowing the remaining section, weighing 5000 lbs., to flip over and land on the worker.
3. Struck By a Swinging or Slipping Object
From OSHA, when materials are mechanically lifted, they have the potential to swing and strike workers. As the load is lifted, the materials may swing, twist or turn. This movement can catch workers by surprise and they could be hit by the swinging load. Windy conditions are especially hazardous because the load will swing more. Depending on where the worker is standing and the force behind the load, the worker may fall to another level after being struck and sustain even greater injuries. In addition to swinging, loads can slip from their riggings and strike workers. Loads must be rigged properly to prevent slippage. When the source of injury has been referred to objects which are not free standing, they are attached at some point or are being held by the worker. This includes instances where a hinge-like motion retracts creating swinging motion in which the worker is struck-by a slamming or swinging motion.
Examples include: (1) a construction worker working within the swing radius of a barge-mounted crane used in dredging operations, who was hit and killed; and (2) a construction worker who was hit on the head and killed by a collapsed boom after a pennant line broke as the crane operator was moving a bundle of rebar.
4. Struck By a Rolling Object
From OSHA: Struck-by rolling object is when an object which is rolling, moving, or sliding on the same level at which the worker is located. Includes instances in which the worker is struck or run over by a moving vehicle without being caught under it or instances in which the worker is struck-by a sliding object or equipment on the same level.
Examples include: (1) worker struck by tractor trailer and dragged to his death; (2) construction worker suffers fatal injuries after being struck by a moving semi-truck while loading/unloading freight; (3) construction worker flagging traffic and was struck by a truck; and (4) mobile under-hung bridge crane runs over construction worker, killing him.
Construction Workers Facing Highest Risk of Serious Injury or Death in Struck-By Accident
Over time, not only has the risk of struck-by accidents become widely recognized to employers and others in the construction industry, the identification of those workers facing the highest risk of serious or deadly injuries in a struck-by accident has been made.
1. Workers Walking on the Job Site
According to the CDC, most fatal struck-by injuries involve motor vehicle accidents. Here, the death may be the result of any type of motor vehicle driving onto the construction site and becoming involved in a collision. Often, these accidents involve construction vehicles and heavy equipment that is being used on the site itself.
Pedestrians (workers on foot) perish in around 50% of these struck-by motor vehicle accidents within the construction work zone.
Outside of motor vehicle accidents, fatalities involving struck-by injuries suffered by a construction worker on the job site were (1) the result of a falling object or equipment; or (2) a powered vehicle not in transport.
2. Road Construction Work Zones
The most dangerous type of work place for struck-by fatalities involving construction workers are those road construction job sites. On a road construction work zone, those workers facing the highest risk of death on the job are construction crossing guards and paving/surfacing equipment operators.
Here, according to the CDC, about half (50%) involve a pedestrian-vehicle incident; 13% are roadway incidents involving a motorized vehicle; and 10% involve an object or equipment.
Serious but Not Fatal Struck-By Construction Accidents
The CDC warns that on a construction site, workers suffer the most nonfatal struck-by injuries in accidents involving solid building materials, powered and non-powered hand tools, and scrap/waste/ debris. Within the trades and specialties, the construction workers most likely to suffer nonfatal struck-by injuries are: (1) helpers; (2) sheet metal workers; (3) heating and air conditioning mechanics; and (4) iron workers.
Justice for Serious or Fatal Construction Worker Injuries after Struck-By Accident
For any construction worker in Indiana and Illinois, it is imperative that they remain alert and aware of the extremely high risk environment in which they are employed. Each day, these essential workers face serious injury or death in any number of ways. The variety of dangers involving struck-by-object incidents is well-known to the construction industry, but employers are notorious for putting profits over people and allowing workers to be at risk of harm.
Construction workers who suffer in the event of a struck-by accident on the job site may have avenues for justice under the state laws of Indiana and Illinois when there has been a breach in the duty of care to keep them safe from harm on the job. Each case must be given individual investigation and respect. It is possible that more than one party may be legally liable for the accident and its consequences.
For more on construction accidents, see:
- Construction Worker Injury Behavior Study: Higher Risk of Accident
- Deadly Construction Accidents: Falls Remain a Leading Cause of Death for Construction Workers
- New Construction Worker Safety Report: 43% Jump in Road Construction Worker Deaths
- Construction Worker Deaths: Almost Half of All Construction Fatalities Caused by Falls
- Legal Protection for Construction Workers from High Risk and Danger of Serious Injury or Death on the Job.
For all who work construction in Indiana and Illinois, the danger of a serious or deadly injury on the job is very high. Please be careful out there!
