Small Construction Firms Face Higher Injury Rates, CPWR Reports

Small Construction Firms Show Disproportionate Injury Risks

Workers at construction companies with 10 or fewer employees accounted for 42.4% of the industry’s deaths in 2022, according to a bulletin from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. This figure highlights the elevated risks in smaller firms, as workers at companies with 11 to 19 employees represented 8.1% of deaths that year, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Fatal Injury Trends in the Sector

Fatal injuries at firms with 10 or fewer employees increased by 27.5% from 2011 to 2022, rising from 363 to 463 deaths, while all construction deaths grew nearly 40% over the same period. According to Safety+Health Magazine, these trends underscore the growing challenges in smaller operations.

Nonfatal Injury Rates and Employment Figures

The nonfatal injury rate for construction employers with 10 or fewer employees stood at 0.8 per 100 full-time workers, twice the rate of 0.4 for establishments with 1,000 or more employees. In 2023, 2.7 million employees worked at construction firms with fewer than 20 workers, making up 91% of the industry’s employees, and 2.9 million were self-employed or independent contractors, up from 2.4 million in 2014.

Factors Contributing to Higher Risks

CPWR notes that small establishments face higher injury rates due to a lack of resources, lack of training programs, and insufficient proper or safe equipment, as these workers often deal with limited support. Additionally, nonemployer establishments are not typically covered under OSHA protections, according to Safety+Health Magazine. As a widely-known context, the construction industry has long been recognized for its hazardous nature, with small firms often lacking the regulatory oversight seen in larger entities.