In a 12-month period, there were 1,171 deaths and 480,600 injuries and illnesses in the construction industry. A large number of these deaths resulted from falls from roofs, scaffolds, ladders, building girders and other types of structures. Men, the self-employed, and “older” workers suffered injuries more often than others did. At least 40% of these fatalities were among 17-year olds.

Construction is a hazardous industry. How hazardous?

• It ranks in the lower half of all industries for safety.
• There are 16 times more injuries than in the chemical or steel industry.
• There are 7 times more injuries than in the cement industry.
• There are 4 times more injuries than in the shipbuilding industry.

According to Amerisafe's records, the most frequent and costly construction accidents are from:

• Falls From Heights
• Falling Objects
• Slip, Trip, and Falls
• Muscle Strains
• Lifting, Carrying, Stacking

Another hazardous industry is logging. In the not so distant past, loggers in the southern states were some of the nation's highest “at-risk” workers for injury or death on the job. In fact:

• One logger was killed each week
• Ten loggers suffered major permanent partial disabilities each week
• Nine loggers suffered minor permanent partial disabilities each week
• Seventy loggers suffered temporary total disabilities each week
• One hundred loggers suffered injuries requiring medical treatment each week
• Every two-weeks, a logger was permanently disabled
• The total cost for logging accidents was over $1 million a week.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, logging was the second most hazardous industry from 1992-1996. In 1997, the logging industry surpassed the fishing industry with 128 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to five per 100,000 for all other occupations. Most of these logging deaths occurred in four occupational groups - fellers, choker setters, limbers, and buckers. Almost 90% of these deaths involved trees, logs, snags, or limbs. In addition to having the highest fatality rate, logging has a workplace injury rate of more than 14,000 injuries per 100,000 full-time workers compared with 8,000 per 100,000 for all other industries.

Truck driving, as well as logging, is as dangerous as construction. Statistics show truck driving has one of the highest numbers of fatalities in all occupations and are caused by highway crashes and jackknives. However, these same statistics show that truckers are more likely to get injured around the truck verses in an on-the-road accident. Here's how it looks:

• 15% involve falls
• 15% involve working with the load
• 8% involve working on or around the truck
• 5% involve lifting, carrying, or stacking
• 39% involve various other types of accidents.

The remaining 18% of injuries sustained by truckers are a result of vehicle accidents. However, most of the claims our clients experience involve the following:

• Slipping while getting in/out of the cab or on/off the trailer
• Loading and unloading
• Slip, trip, and fall
• Securing and unsecuring the load.

This is why Amerisafe published three pamphlets titled "Acts & Facts" for the construction, logging and transportation industries. These reports describe real accidents and loss prevention measures we hope will raise peoples' awareness of the consequences of unsafe acts. The following are sample readings from our Acts & Facts: click on the group that interests you to access the report. To find out how you can obtain more of our Acts & Facts, contact our safety department at 1-800-256-9052 or e-mail us.