Prevent Struck-by Incidents

Struck-by incidents are the second leading cause of workplace deaths and the leading cause of nonfatal injuries among construction workers. In 2019, there were 170 construction worker deaths and approximately 16,600 nonfatal construction injuries from struck-by incidents. Learn more about how you can get involved and host a National Stand-Down event at your worksite. Together let's prevent ALL struck-by incidents in construction!

Construction workers face many challenges and threats to their safety and health, including being struck by an object or piece of equipment. Struck-by incidents include

• accidents involving vehicles and transportation equipment;
• falling tools or objects, flying and discharged objects; and
• non-transportation vehicles or equipment, such as swing hazards from cranes.

Many of these incidents are preventable and could be avoided through better understanding of the hazards, improved planning and scheduling, implementation of interventions, and increased training. Continuing efforts are needed to address hazards in construction workplaces.

The 4th annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents in construction will occur April 17-21, 2023. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is planning the National Stand-down with the NORA Construction Sector Council, National Construction Center , and many partners in industry, academia, and across the federal government.

What is a Safety Stand-Down?

In construction, "safety stand-downs" are used to describe activities where normal work is paused and groups of workers or the entire site focuses on a specific safety issue. Some employers may use stand-downs to call attention to specific interventions that may be used to address hazards present on their site. The National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents is held in conjunction with National Work Zone Awareness Week . For 2023, the Stand-down focus is on highway work zones, vehicular and heavy equipment hazards, dropped objects, dump trucks, and vehicle recovery.

Join or Host a Struck-by Safety Stand-Down Event

Contractors, workers, and safety professionals across the nation are invited to join or host a Struck-by Safety Stand-Down event to highlight a leading cause of injury and death for construction workers. A safety stand-down event is an opportunity to educate workers on hazard prevention topics including

• creating internal traffic control plans,
• keeping positive separation between workers and moving vehicles (including motorists),
• using temporary traffic control devices,
• tethering tools and equipment,
• conducting good housekeeping,
• avoiding blind-spots around large equipment,
• using high-visibility clothing, and
• many other topics.

While the National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents is oriented to construction workers and construction workplaces, preventable struck-by incidents occur in many other types of workplaces. Feel free to participate and let your colleagues know about this important event-you may be able to broaden efforts to prevent struck-by incidents to help workers in many other industries and types of workplaces!

Resources and additional information related to this hazard and the National Stand-down are available on the NIOSH National Construction Center's website .

References

1. CA/FACE (Aug. 4, 2021). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/pdfs/20ca002.pdf
2. CA/FACE (July 2, 2021). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/pdfs/20ca001.pdf The Construction Chart Book. 6th Edition. The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR). 2018. Available from: https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/The_6th_Edition_Construction_eChart_Book.pdf
3. Data Bulletin: Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries in the Construction Industry. Available from: DataBulletin-May2022.pdf (cpwr.com)
4. Data Bulletin: Fatal and Nonfatal Struck-by Injuries in the Construction Industry, 2011-2019," CPWR Data Bulletin, April 2021. https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-April2021.pdf

1. CPWR. Data Bulletin: Nonfatal Injury Trends in the Construction Industry. Available from: https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-December2020.pdf
2. CPWR. 2022 Survey Results: Struck-by Hazards, Barriers and Opportunities in the Construction Industry. The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR). Available from: RR-2022_Struck-by_Survey.pdf (cpwr.com)
3. CPWR. Crane-Related Deaths in Construction and Recommendations for Their Prevention. November 2009. Available from: https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/CPWR-Crane-Rept-Recmmdtns-Nov-2009-BLS-UPDATED.pdf
4. Neitzel, R. L., Seixas, N. S., & Ren, K. K. (2001). A review of crane safety in the construction industry. Applied occupational and environmental hygiene, 16(12), 1106-1117.
5. Wang, X. W., Katz, R., Schneider, S., Memarian, B., & Dong, X. W. (2018). Struck-by injuries and prevention in the construction industry. The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring. https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/Quarter2-QDR-2017.pdf

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