Project level analysis of fatal construction fall accidents in small building projects

Construction in the U.S. is a significant industry by accounting for over 4.5% of the annual GDP and 8% of the entire workforce. However, the construction industry also accounts for over 21.7% of fatalities annually and has had over 6000 fatalities between the years 2003-2007. Fall fatalities have been targeted as one of the most serious areas within these fatalities. Many of these deaths are also located in the under 50K range of projects. This is particularly important considering that these contractors typically have limited resources to complete their job. There have been studies that have looked at construction falls and have confirmed the seriousness of construction falls but pointed out that certain areas can be looked at to devise preventative measures. Through project level analysis contractors can strategically manage resources to best prepare specific work groups for high risk activities identified in this paper. This thesis will also point out a need for more project level data within fatality reports, and a better regulated process of filling them out. Finally, this thesis plans to analyze how violations are attributed to these fatalities.