Construction Safety Week 2017: 5 Stats Every Safety Manager Needs to Know

Construction Safety: By The Numbers

8 & 24

The number of hours in which you are required to report a work-related death (8) or injury/hospitalization (24). Most companies never imagine an accident will happen until it actually does. In the construction industry, it is critical to have a system in place for properly documenting, reporting, and storing all data that relates to accidents on job sites. This will not only make it easier to comply with the strict OSHA regulatory standards of accident reporting but can also reduce the risk of litigation due to safety negligence. And since it is now a requirement to electronically submit all injury records to OSHA, using a mobile OSHA 300, 300A, or 301 form to collect this information cuts out all manual data re-entry on the backend.

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47%

Percentage of fatalities that construction companies with less than 10 employees account for. This number is was discovered during a 3-year study conducted by The Associated General Contractors of America. It sheds a spotlight on the negligence and utter lack of safety procedures found in small construction firms. The good part is that solutions like GoCanvas can be implemented without much cost and instantly increase data visibility across job sites so that items like proper maintenance inspections, daily safety reporting, and more are conducted properly. The size of a project doesn’t dictate the amount of risk involved, and having proper safety procedures in place can help prepare personnel for all potential dangers they may encounter on the job site. 

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78%

The increase in maximum penalties under the new OSHA guidelines as of August 1st, 2016. Companies found to be committing a ‘Willful or Repeated’ violation are now subject to a $124,709 fine. this is an increase of over $54,000 from previous years. Companies committing a ‘Serious’ violation are now subject to a fine of $12,471, this is an increase of over $5,000. Fine are going to continue to rise in the coming years, and you can learn more here.

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6,929

The total number of ‘Fall Protection’ violations in 2016, and the #1 most cited violation by OSHA for 6 straight years according to Construction Dive. This consistent ranking shows that companies are still not approaching this issue with enough seriousness and attention. Simple Fall Protection mobile checklists can help construction companies monitor for signs of negligence on job sites and put into place preventative actions that help prevent serious accidents from happening. The GoCanvas Application Store has over 20 Fall Protection mobile checklists that can assist construction workers in daily safety reporting, including checking their equipment and harnesses before they put themselves in danger.

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32,000

The total number of workplace inspections conducted by OSHA in 2016. According to the OSHA FactSheet, this means that only 0.43% of the possible 7 million worksites in the U.S. was actually reviewed by federal staff due to understaffing and overwork. So in order to make the biggest impact, OSHA specifically target companies that have a history of past violations, worker complaints, referral of hazards from other regulatory agencies, and/or work in high-risk industries.