Construction Injuries: Common Risks and How to Prevent Them on Site

Slips and falls, falling objects, electrical incidents, and overexertion—these are only a few of the risks associated with construction sites.

And while these injuries are common in this field, they should never be normalized. By implementing better safety protocols, your company can successfully address safety issues in the workplace, leading to increased efficiency and improved employee morale.

To improve safety in the workplace, companies should be aware of the various injuries their employees are at risk of. For that reason, we’ve provided a comprehensive guide that discusses the 10 most common injuries in construction, their root causes, and strategies for preventing them.

The Reality of Construction Injuries

The consequences of workplace injuries go far beyond the injury itself. To better understand the importance of construction injury prevention, let’s look at the long-term impact injuries can have:

• Injuries Are a Constant Threat: The construction industry is widely known for its hazardous work environment, where physically demanding labor, dangerous machinery, and exposure to harsh conditions all contribute to workplace risks. In fact, construction had the most fatalities of any industry in 2023.
• Workers Face Long-Term Consequences: Beyond the immediate physical harm of construction injuries, workers may face long-term consequences such as chronic pain, reduced mobility, prolonged time off, and potential career disruptions.
• Emotional and Psychological Strain: Unsafe working conditions, chronic pain, financial concerns due to missed wages, and social isolation all affect mental health in construction. The suicide rate among male construction workers stands at 56 per 100,000, around four times higher than the national average, demonstrating the severe mental toll the construction industry takes on its workers.
• A Disruption to Business Operations: When a worker is injured, companies may need to reassign tasks, manage compliance requirements, and handle workers’ compensation claims. This can lead to project delays, productivity gaps, and increased costs.
• Financial and Legal Risks for Employers: There are direct and indirect costs of workplace injuries, including medical expenses, loss of productivity, rising insurance premiums, and OSHA fines. Companies that have high DART rates may also negatively affect contracts, partnerships, and hiring.

10 Most Common Injuries in Construction  

Construction workers face a wide range of hazards due to the nature of their work. Some of the most common workplace injuries your company should be aware of include:

1. Falls from Heights

Falls are the number one cause of fatalities in construction, accounting for one in three construction workers’ deaths. These accidents may occur while workers are on roofs, scaffolds, ladders, bridges, and other work surfaces. The absence of proper fall protection measures, such as harnesses and guardrails, significantly contributes to these accidents.

2. Falling Objects

26.5% of struck-by fatalities in the construction industry are caused by falling objects. Since construction sites often have materials, tools, and debris positioned at high elevations, falling objects pose a significant risk, potentially causing head injuries, concussions, broken bones, and even fatalities for workers below.

3. Equipment-Related Accidents

Many construction workers regularly operate heavy machinery such as cranes, bulldozers, and forklifts. However, when equipment is misused, malfunctions, or lacks proper safety features, it can cause a range of injuries, including being struck by heavy machinery, caught between moving parts, electrocuted, and more.

4. Trench and Scaffold Collapses

Excavations and scaffolding are essential in construction, but when not properly secured, they can collapse, leading to suffocation, fractures, or even fatalities. Overloading, improper weight distribution, and failure to follow trenching safety standards all contribute to these accidents. 

Over the last decade, trench collapses have killed hundreds of workers in the U.S. In fact, trench collapses are more likely than other excavation-related incidents to result in worker fatalities. 

5. Electrical Incidents

The most frequent causes of electrical injuries in construction include contact with power lines, lack of ground-fault protection, a missing or discontinuous path to ground, improper equipment use, and misuse of extension and flexible cords. These electrical hazards can result in electrocution, burns, or electrical fires.

6. Repetitive Motion Injuries

Some construction injuries develop over time due to repetitive motions, such as lifting, hammering, or bending. Prolonged exposure to these movements can strain muscles and joints, leading to long-term health issues, such as musculoskeletal disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome, or chronic back pain.

7. Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls are the second-highest single cause of workplace injuries, with 22% of these accidents leading to over a month off work. Poorly maintained stairs and ladders, wet floors, loose floorboards, and unmarked hazards can all cause slips, trips, and falls, potentially leading to fractures, sprains, or head injuries.

8. Overexertion and Heat Stress

Construction workers often perform strenuous labor in extreme weather conditions, leading to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and heatstroke. Between 1992 and 2016, 285 construction workers died from heat-related causes. Overexertion can also result in muscle strains, sprains, and long-term fatigue.

9. Respiratory Issues from Hazardous Materials

Exposure to dust, asbestos, and toxic chemicals on construction sites can lead to serious respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic lung diseases. Regularly breathing construction dust can cause diseases such as lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and silicosis, with over 500 construction workers believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year.

10. Caught-In/Between Accidents

Workers can get caught in or between heavy equipment, materials, or collapsing structures, leading to severe crushing injuries, amputations, or fatalities. Unstable loads, malfunctioning machinery, or unexpected shifts in materials can further increase the risk of these accidents.

Root Causes of Construction Injuries

Now that we know the most common types of injuries in construction, it’s important to understand the root causes. Some key factors contributing to accidents on construction sites include:

1. Insufficient Training and Safety Awareness

Without proper training, workers are more likely to use equipment improperly, overlook safety protocols, and develop unsafe work habits. Some companies make the mistake of only providing initial training to new workers. However, if your employees don’t receive regular training and refresher courses, they may not be able to accurately recognize hazards or know how to respond to emergencies.

2. Poor Worksite Planning and Hazardous Conditions

Disorganized construction sites—such as those with cluttered pathways, exposed wiring, and unstable scaffolding—create high-risk environments. Without proactive site planning, your workers are at higher risk of accidents from tripping hazards, falling objects, and unsafe work zones.

3. Rushing to Meet Deadlines and Unsafe Work Speeds

While deadlines are a normal part of any workplace, tight schedules, and high-pressure environments can increase the risk of construction work injuries. Why?

Because workers may be more likely to ignore safety measures and work in unsafe conditions to meet deadlines. Injuries caused by rushed processes and mistakes can be easily prevented, highlighting the importance of safe and healthy working conditions.

4. Faulty or Improperly Maintained Equipment

Machinery is a vital tool in the construction industry. However, machines are large contributors to crush injuries, electrocutions, and amputations, meaning they require regular maintenance to prevent machine-related accidents. For example, malfunctioning forklift brakes, faulty crane cables, or worn-out power tool components can lead to severe accidents if not properly maintained.

5. Exposure to Dangerous Materials and Environmental Hazards

Construction workers are exposed to many different types of hazardous substances. Long-term exposure to these substances and environments can unfortunately lead to serious respiratory and skin conditions, heat exhaustion, frostbite, and dehydration.

6. Ineffective Communication and Lack of Safety Supervision

Site supervisors should be in charge of enforcing safety standards. While routine training helps improve safety awareness, construction managers play a crucial role in maintaining a safe work environment. This is because unclear instructions, missed safety signage, poor coordination, and lack of safety supervision can significantly increase the risk of injuries.

Effective Strategies for Preventing Injuries in Construction

Interested in preventing construction work injuries?

Here are valuable strategies to help your company reduce accidents and improve employee morale:

1. Comprehensive Safety Training

Comprehensive training is the foundation of construction site safety. As an employer, you should provide site-specific safety training that addresses the hazards and equipment on each job site, including construction heat safety to mitigate heat-related risks. Training should include hands-on demonstrations, emergency response protocols, and refresher courses to prevent complacency in the workplace.

2. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment protects workers from physical injuries caused by heavy materials, falling objects, and hazardous substances. In addition to providing high-quality PPE—such as helmets, gloves, goggles, harnesses, and respirators—company leaders should train employees to use, maintain, and replace PPE when damaged.

3. Regular Equipment Maintenance

As discussed in this article, malfunctioning machinery and tools are major causes of injuries. For this reason, employers should schedule routine maintenance, track repairs, and immediately remove defective equipment from service.

4. Implementation of Safety Protocols

An important part of construction safety management is establishing clear, standardized safety protocols. You can accomplish this by creating job-specific guidelines, proper signage, and daily safety briefings to reinforce best practices. Site supervisors can also reduce construction accidents by conducting audits to identify hazards and implementing corrective actions.

5. Promoting a Culture of Safety

Part of developing a successful construction safety plan is creating a safety culture that encourages open communication. When workers feel comfortable reporting hazards without fear of retaliation, they are more likely to take a proactive role in injury prevention. Employers should reward safe behaviors, analyze incidents, and continuously refine safety measures.

Challenges in Preventing Construction Injuries

Key challenges faced by construction companies in preventing and managing accidents in construction sites include:

High-Risk Work Environments

From heavy machinery to elevated platforms and electrical hazards, it’s no secret that construction workers face a higher risk of injury. While prevention should be the top priority, companies should also be prepared to handle injuries effectively. With JobSiteCare’s work injury care, you can access 24/7 physician-led telemedicine to quickly address injuries and reduce their severity.

Delayed Access to Medical Care

A crucial aspect of workplace injury management is offering immediate medical care to injured workers. However, traditional off-site care often results in delayed medical responses, which can worsen injury outcomes. With JobSiteCare’s occupational health telemedicine, you can significantly reduce response time and improve outcomes.

Challenges in Coordinating Injury Care

Managing an injured worker’s medical journey can be challenging, with delayed specialist referrals and inconsistent treatment potentially leading to prolonged recovery times. That said, comprehensive care coordination is key to helping your workers receive well-rounded care and prevent them from being re-injured after returning to work. 

With JobSiteCare’s expertise in care coordination, you can ensure timely specialist visits, seamless treatment scheduling, and high-quality care throughout recovery, helping workers heal faster while reducing employer burdens.

Regulatory and OSHA Compliance Complexity

While OSHA’s mission is to assure America’s workers have safe and healthful working conditions, navigating these regulations can be complicated and resource-intensive. To reduce the risk of penalties, JobSiteCare’s team of OSHA-trained professionals supports compliance with regular assessments and ongoing advisory.

Complexities in Managing Workers’ Compensation

Managing workers’ compensation claims often involves significant administrative work, unclear processes, and delayed claims resolution. Our team at JobSiteCare can help you simplify the claims process, benefiting both workers and employers.

In addition, improving your company’s workplace injury response procedure can help reduce the frequency of claims, ensuring faster, more efficient resolution.

Conclusion

Routine safety checks, rapid access to medical care, and coordinated case management are all crucial elements in minimizing risks on construction sites.

With JobSiteCare’s injury management services, your company can ensure workers receive immediate medical care, enhancing both project efficiency and worker well-being. 

Contact us today to learn more about the construction site medical services.

FAQs About Construction Injuries