Preventing Electrocution of Construction Contract Workers

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently released a report based upon U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) data showing that 77% of the 325 contract worker electrocutions that occurred from 2012-2016 involved workers employed in the construction industry (NFPA 2018). Nearly 60% of the electrocutions were caused by direct contact with electricity. Construction workers account for a large portion of electrical injuries in the US each year. In 2015, for example, 61% of all US workplace electrocutions occurred in construction (82 of 134 total deaths), but these data do not tell the whole story.