FACTS

Dangers Working with Cement and Concrete

Anyone on the construction site can be seriously injured or catastrophically harmed simply by coming into contact cement.

1. Eye Injuries:  Blindness. Severe bodily injury involving one or both eyes is a risk for anyone who is near enough to cement that cement particles can enter an unprotected eye.  Limited exposure may cause treatable eye injuries; however, cement particles have been known to cause blindness.
2. Inhalation Injuries. If cement is breathed in or inhaled, the entire respiratory system and especially the lungs can be severely injured.  Lung cancer and silicosis are two very real risks facing any construction worker who inhales large amounts of cement dust on the job.
3. Severe Burns. Burns are also a serious danger posed by this hazardous on-site material.  Severe cement injuries can involve third degree burns to the worker where permanent injury or death can result.

STATS

• Over 10 % of those workers — 28,000 — experienced a job-related injury or illness and 42 died in just one year.
• Unsafe conditions in the concrete industry continue to cause approximately 28,000 serious injuries and illnesses and about 40 deaths each year.
• More than 250,000 people work in concrete manufacturing. Over 10 % of those workers — 28,000 — experienced a job-related injury or illness and 42 died in just one year.
• Construction and concrete work are dangerous. Of the 250,000 employees who work in concrete manufacturing, 10% of them have been injured.
• The BLS reports that lost workdays in the masonry fields are 2.5 times greater and in the concrete fields are seven times greater than the U.S. national average.
• According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 150,000 injuries on construction job sites every year.