Hospitalized falls among construction workers in Washington State

Fall injuries in construction resulting in hospitalization can be used to identify and characterize fall risk factors and prioritize construction industries at risk of falls. Fall injuries in construction that occurred between 2007-2012 resulting in hospitalization were identified using the Washington State funded workers’ compensation insurance database. Records were extracted along with assigned codes and associated data including: North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS); Standard Occupational Classification (SOC); Occupational Illness and Injury Classification (OIICS); as well as the injured worker’s age, job tenure, days away from work, and injury associated cost. A total of 1056 hospitalized falls were identified.  Of these, 31% of falls were from ladders, 17% of falls were from roofs, and 65% of falls resulted in fracture injuries. The occupations carpenter, laborer, and roofer accounted for 43% of fall injuries. Construction industries with the highest frequency of injured workers were Roofing Contractors, Framing Contractors, and New Single-family Construction. Roofing Contractors suffered the highest rate of injuries followed by Siding Contractors. Workers who suffered falls from ladders or roofs had lower median days of job tenure with their employer than workers who fell from scaffolds or other work surfaces. Workers in the 40-55 year old age group suffered injuries resulting in the highest median days away from work and highest median workers' compensation claim cost. Working in roofing and framing construction industries, occupation as a carpenter or laborer, using a ladder, and job tenure were influential factors in a majority of these hospitalized falls.