Addressing fall protection for the construction industry

Falls remain the deadliest hazard on construction sites, but most are preventable. Falls, slips and trips are the leading cause of injury in the construction sector, accounting for nearly 40% of all work-related injuries on jobsites. Specifically, falls from height were a major contributor leading to thousands of severe injuries and more than 300 deaths.¹ 

Furthermore, the U.S. Construction industry is facing a workforce shortage of an estimated 349,000 new workers in 2026, and the shortage is expected to expand by an additional 456,000 in 2027 to meet demand.²As the industry struggles to attract and retain skilled labor, ensuring the safety and well-being of current employees is more important than ever. 

Implementing effective fall prevention measures is essential to keep workers safe, maintain productivity, and mitigate the impact of labor shortages.

What’s behind the issue of falls in construction?

The Center for Construction Research & Training (CPWR) recently conducted a research study into the causes of falls. In almost every instance, the fall was preventable.³The causes were reported by those who had a fall or witnessed a serious fall. Top categories include: 

• 27.4% Poor planning / lack of proper fall protection equipment 

• 21.7% Not using proper equipment 

• 17.1% Using equipment improperly 

• 14.8% Lack of training³ 

A deeper look into falls identified a few insights that may help construction businesses, jobsite supervisors and contractors think of new ways to drive awareness and share resources: 

Experience – It’s critical that construction employers pay close attention to the experience level of workers. Nationwide claims data shows construction workers with less than two years of tenure account for half of reported construction fall claims from 2020-2025.⁴ This underscores the importance for businesses to ensure all workers, and especially those new to their company, are properly trained and equipped with the necessary protection measures to prevent such accidents. 

Community – Falls have an outsized impact on the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community has strong representation in the construction industry accounting for 34% of total construction employment⁵, which is almost double their average employment (19%) across all other industries.⁶ 

For Hispanics, falls were a leading cause of fatal injuries in construction, just behind vehicle accidents.² From 2011 to 2022, fatal injuries among Hispanic construction workers increased 107%, while fatalities among non-Hispanic workers rose 17%. Over that period, the fatal injury rate for Hispanic workers increased from 9.6 to 10.3 per 100,000 FTEs, even as the rate for non-Hispanic workers edged down from 8.8 to 8.7 per 100,000 FTEs.⁵ 

Job classes – Falls impact all construction businesses but especially those in Specialty Trades. According to the US Bureau of labor statistics, more than half of all construction industry workers are employed in specialty trade contracting including classes of businesses such as roofing, electrical, plumbing, painting, etc.¹ 

These specialty trades are having an outsized impact on falls. From 2011 to 2022, almost 70% of both nonfatal and fatal falls were attributed to workers in specialty trades (NAICS 238).⁷ 

Contractor size – Falls impact all sizes of business but especially businesses with fewer than 10 employees. From 2011 to 2022, 70% of fatal falls occurred with employees working for business with fewer than 10 employees.⁷ 

Larger businesses often have more formal fall protection programs in place and the resources to focus specifically on this issue. But this may be a question of awareness and access – small businesses can find resources for free that can help them implement formal programs. It starts with management but needs to get down to the supervisor and contractor making the right decisions on the jobsite. 

What can contractors do to help protect workers from falls?

The Center for Construction Research & Training study found that employees who believe fall protection was required by their employer were eight times more likely to use fall protection compared to those who did not.³ 

For construction businesses and the broader industry, Nationwide has developed an interactive Fall Protection Guide for Construction. The guide is designed to walk through fall protection requirements, outline roles and responsibilities, and provide turn-key solutions to document training, perform inspections and implement company/site specific fall protection plans. 

To make the guide more accessible, the entire program has been curated into Spanish with bi-lingual construction safety experts: Guía de protección contra caídas para la construcción. 

And Nationwide is working with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to bring greater awareness to this issue for all contractors and with the Hispanic community specifically. 

More resources supporting fall protection and construction risk management:

Fall protection resources and construction risk management resources can be found accessed at the following: 

• Construction Fall Protection Center 
• Construction Fall Protection Guide 
• Construction Fall Protection Guide – Spanish version 
• Ladder Alternative Program 
• Nationwide Toolbox Talks 
• Construction Risk Management Resources