FACTS

1. The leading causes of work-related deaths is contact with objects. This includes:

• • Struck against an object
  • Struck by an object
  • Caught in an object or equipment

2. Objects that fall, roll, fly, slide, slip and swing can do serious damage to a person.
3. There are four common struck-by hazards in construction: struck-by flying objects, struck-by falling objects, struck-by swinging objects and struck-by rolling objects.

• • A flying object hazard exists when something has been thrown, hurled, or propelled across space. It can include instances when a piece of material separates from a tool, machine, or other equipment, striking a worker.
  • A falling object hazard includes instances where the injured person is crushed, pinned, or caught under a falling object; this hazard does not include collapsing material or structures.
  • A swinging object hazard typically involves loads being lifted by a crane or hoist that is being improperly operated; winds can also cause a suspended load to swing.
  • A rolling object hazard includes instances in which the worker is struck or run over by a moving vehicle without being caught under it or instances in which the worker is struck by a sliding object or equipment on the same level.

STATS

• About 75% of struck-by fatalities involve heavy equipment, such as trucks or cranes, according to OSHA. Workers in agriculture, construction and manufacturing are most at risk including but firefighters, police, transportation employees and office workers. 
• According to Injury Facts 2016, there were 721 workplace deaths due to these types of incidents and more than 232,570 injuries with days away from work in 2013.
• Construction sites are busy and full of potential dangers. One of these dangers is struck-by incidents. In 2013, more than 17,100 construction workers were injured – and 84 workers died – in struck-by incidents, according to the 2016 edition of the chart book “Injury Facts,” produced by the National Safety Council.
• For 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that contact with objects or equipment caused 761 fatalities in the entire workforce. Struck-by comprises the widest range of individual hazards, consisting of struck by a flying object, a falling object, a swinging or slipping object, or a rolling object.
• According to OSHA, struck-by injuries accounted for 93 construction worker deaths in 2016, which is 9.4% of the 991 fatalities caused by construction site hazards.