The construction industry in Arizona has been the primary contributor to workers’ compensation injury claims for many years. There are specific industries that have more overall hazardous conditions than others, and construction tops the list. The construction industry is also a wide-ranging work-duties field as well because it covers so many elements of the building process. Not everyone working in construction is a form carpenter. Personnel includes professional electricians, plumbers, machine operators and masonry workers. The opportunity for a job site injury is always present, and a long-term study recently conducted by The Center for Construction Training and Research supports this injury potential for construction workers.
Reduced injury rates
In the study that included data from 2003 until 2019, the study by The CPWR Center for Construction Training and Research concluded that there was a significant decline in the number of injuries, as the number of injuries per 10,000 workers fell from 259 to 112 workers filing workers’ compensation claims. The major section of claims was filed by the 20-24-year-old demographic.
Slip and fall increases
While many injuries in construction do occur when workers are around machinery of all types, the most detailed increase in injuries was due to slipping and falling from one level of construction to the next when working on scaffolding and high-rise buildings. Arizona workers’ compensation attorneys point out that many of these occurred in the many recent construction projects within the state, as Arizona has experienced exponential growth during the study time period.
It should also be noted that construction injuries resulting in workers’ compensation claims total more than all other industries combined. Additionally, these robust injury numbers have occurred at a time when most companies are being very conscious of the dangers associated with all types of construction employment, which is evident by the 59% drop in nonfatal injury rates over the 2003-2019 study period.
