The construction industry saw a 17% decline in serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs) in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by ISN, a Dallas-based contractor and supplier management consulting firm. While this is a positive sign, experts caution that the broader fatality rate across industries — especially in construction — has remained stubbornly high over the past decade.

“The bad news is on a macrolevel across all industries, even though lagging measures such as recordable rates and lost time rates have steadily come down from where they historically have been, fatalities have flatlined for the last 10 years,” said Duane Duhamel, ISN’s director of health, safety and sustainability.

The report, which analyzed OSHA data from 2017 to 2023, reveals that despite improvements in reducing nonfatal incidents, construction continues to face steep challenges in addressing life-ending hazards. The fatality rate in construction has hovered around 10 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers for more than a decade, making it one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S.

Hazards such as moving vehicles, working at height or in confined spaces, equipment contact, and electrocution remain persistent threats on jobsites.

“The construction industry is what we would term a high-hazard industry in general because it has many moving parts of staffing and overlap with contractors and subcontractors all the way down,” Duhamel explained. “That introduces a great deal of complexity when it comes to safety culture.”

The Role of Safety Culture

ISN’s report emphasizes that improving organizational safety culture is key to reducing incidents. Duhamel credits research groups and safety leaders in construction for advancing prevention strategies, better training, stronger controls, and more thoughtful hazard assessments.

“I am optimistic that this will help move the needle in due time,” he said.

One significant tool, according to Duhamel, is the implementation of robust safety assessments. Companies with formal programs to identify hazards and turn assessments into measurable safety improvements generally see fewer SIFs.

“There is a direct correlation with a strong health and safety culture that leads to the likelihood of SIFs being lessened,” Duhamel said.

Recommendations for Companies

Duhamel encourages construction firms to conduct safety culture assessments to pinpoint organizational gaps.

“Employees will tell you what they see and believe and how things really are,” he said. “Additionally, really focusing on these high-consequence events and ensuring there are adequate controls in place to protect them and looking at the human performance side of why people make mistakes and what can be improved.”

Although the decline in SIFs is promising, Duhamel stressed that the industry still has a long way to go in addressing underlying risks.

“There’s a lot of hurdles and struggles with workplace safety in the construction industry as a whole, and I think technology can help with this,” he said.

Emerging innovations — such as crash detection in vehicles, enhanced fall protection systems, wearables that monitor worker safety, and drones that assess hazardous site conditions — are critical tools in pushing the industry forward, Duhamel added.

“Capturing some of those is really vital for the next iteration of SIFs prevention,” he said.

As construction firms continue to navigate a complex mix of staffing challenges, project demands, and technological opportunities, the focus on creating a deeply embedded culture of safety may prove to be the most effective way to drive down fatality rates — a goal that has remained frustratingly out of reach for the past decade.

Originally reported by Keith Loria in Construction Dive.