Trends of Fall Accidents in the U.S. Construction Industry

Kang, Youngcheol; Siddiqui, Sohaib; Suk, Sung Joon; Chi, Seokho; Kim, Chang-Wan

doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001332

Cited by 126 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…These accidents seem to correlate with the number of workers in the sector [3]. This trend persisted in the period between 1997 and 2012, where accidents due to falls from heights went from 36.3 percent in the Huang study [3] to 44.6 [4]. In Australia [5], the fall-from-height fatality rate was 14 percent in 2016, and was only surpassed by motor collision casualties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes

Pomares

Carrión

González

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Tens of thousands of fall-from-height accidents take place at construction sites every year. These types of accidents range from minor to fatal, causing a significant financial burden to enterprises, personal and family traumatic experiences, high medical costs, as well as hard compensation claim settlements. It makes sense then, that some sort of effective personal protective equipment (PPE) be devised to stop these types of accidents from happening. This article aims to explain how PPE can be used to minimize personal injury and the costs implied. The main contribution of this study is that the prototypes made with dynamic ropes and terminals knotted-without an energy absorber-could safely retain falls. Results show that standards EN 354 and EN 364 need to incorporate dynamic test requirements, for the reason that a high loading rate significantly reduces the resistance in static tests that manufacturing companies claim they have. Surprisingly, more than 90 percent of work at heights use PPE without any absorber. Finally, this study calls for the need to accurately determine the dynamic response of PPE in order to further advance in improvements of these fall arrest systems with no energy absorber.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes

Pomares

Carrión

González

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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show abstract

“…Accidents due to falls from a height are the cause of the highest number of fatalities in the construction industry over the last decade, and it is observed that these accidents are growing at higher rates than the number of workers in the sector [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. This negative trend persists, as can be seen in the study of accidents occurring in the United States from 1997 to 2012, where accidents due to falls from a height increased from 36% in the Huang study in 2003 to approximately 45% in 2017 [ 4 ]. Personal protect equipment (PPE), in particular fall arrest systems (FAS), is important to the safety of construction workers [ 5 ], and we have the moral responsibility to continue studying, improving, and contributing to continuous improvement in the field of preventing falls from a height.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Average Force of Deployment and Maximum Arrest Force of Energy Absorbers Lanyards

Carrión

Saez

Pomares

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Energy-absorbing lanyards (EAL) are part of fall arrest systems (FAS), their main mission is to dissipate the energy generated during the fall, ensuring that the arresting force does not cause injury to the user. For the design of FAS as set out in the American standard Z359.6 and the Canadian Z259.16 it is essential to know the deployment force or average arrest force (Fa). Fa is necessary to estimate the elongation that the absorber will suffer during the fall and therefore essential data to calculate the clearance distance. There is a lack of useful experimental data for the design of this personal protective equipment (PPE). This work provides empirical data required for the design of FAS with EAL in accordance with EN 355. This paper covers different types of EAL that are marketed internationally; different empirical data, average and maximum forces, required for improving safety design are researched. Six manufacturers, 10 models, and 2 samples of each model were selected, with total of 20 tests being performed. Dynamic performance tests were carried out, the free fall of a person was simulated using a 100 kg steel ballast from the maximum height allowed by the equipment, obtaining the maximum arrest force (Fm), average deployment force (Fa), and, by calculating the balance of forces, the maximum and average acceleration suffered by the ballast during its arrest. In light of the results, relevant conclusions for user safety are obtained. It is feasible to raise the safety requirements established by the different standards. The Fm can be established below 6 kN in the EAL, and the Fa can be estimated at 87.5% of the Fm. The categorization of the force–time curve in fall arrest with EAL has been obtained. Two EAL purchased on the market exceed the Fm permitted, therefore it is recommended to increase the quality controls of EAL.

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“…After their calculation they carried out T tests and ANOVA analysis to establish the relationship between IR, MR and selected categories such as gender, age of employees or company size [24]. Kang et al investigated the frequency and trend of fall-related accidents on the basis of analysis of 20,997 accidents that occurred in the construction industry in the United States in 1997-2012, registered in the Safety and Health at Work Administration (OSHA) database [25].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accident Rate as a Measure of Safety Assessment in Polish Civil Engineering

Cieslewicz

Araszkiewicz

Sikora

2019

Safety

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Civil engineering is characterised by high volatility with respect to working conditions, which are the source of many threats to worker life and health and contribute to high accident rates. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and evaluate the phenomenon of accidents in Polish civil engineering and define the direction of changes that should occur in the safety area. The studies included in this research covered the years 2004–2018. The following indicators were used to assess the accident rates: (1) The total number of persons injured in workplace accidents and this total divided into fatal, severe, and minor accidents; (2) indicators of frequency of accidents in total and this total divided into minor, severe, and fatal accidents; (3) and an indicator of the severity of accidents. From the analysis of statistical data for the years 200–2018, the changes in accident rate parameters demonstrate the continuous improvement of workplace safety in the Polish civil engineering sector. From the analysed data from the 15 years, a clear decrease in the value of the applied indicators is apparent, including both the number of people involved in accidents and the frequency and severity of accidents.

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Trends of Fall Accidents in the U.S. Construction Industry

Cited by 126 publications

References 18 publications

Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes

Optimization on Personal Fall Arrest Systems. Experimental Dynamic Studies on Lanyard Prototypes

Average Force of Deployment and Maximum Arrest Force of Energy Absorbers Lanyards

Accident Rate as a Measure of Safety Assessment in Polish Civil Engineering

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