Work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a shockingly common occurrence and account for 20 to 25 percent of injuries while on the job. Many severe accidents require extensive and lengthy rehabilitation. Workers who suffer that type of injury face career-ending consequences, with 25 percent unable to return to their job.
TBIs are the leading cause of injury-related disabilities and fatalities. The sum total of these accidents has resulted in these types of injuries being a global public health problem.
Prominent dangers in the construction industry
Construction is at the top of the list of all industries where workers are at risk of TBI when it comes to fatal and nonfatal injuries. Employees are more likely to be struck by falling and flying objects. Other accidents occur due to falls from significant heights from scaffolds, roofs, and ladders, representing more than half of work-related TBIs.
Data from 2003 to 2010 show 2,210 construction workers lost their lives due to a TBI. Deaths accounted for one-quarter of all industry fatalities and 24 percent of all work-related TBI deaths during that span of time.
Additional statistics include:
- Small construction company workers (less than 20) were 2.5 times more susceptible to injuries
- Workers employed by larger companies saw more than 100 employees losing their lives while on the job
- When it comes to workers aged 25 to 34 compared to employees in their sixties, more seasoned construction workers were close to four times more likely to suffer a fatal TBI
- Within the construction industry, structural iron and steel workers and roofers accounted for the highest numbers of fatal TBIs.
Construction workers who ply their respective trades in dangerous settings can see their careers ending in a split second. Injuries or deaths to primary wage earners may require compensation for a family’s tragic loss.