Silver Spring, MD — Workers in the construction industry represented more than a third of all workplace heat-related deaths in 2023 and 2022, according to a report from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training.
Researchers looked at data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, CPWR’s Fatality Map, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, and OSHA’s Severe Injury database.
In 2023, 18 (32.7%) of the 55 heat-related workplace deaths recorded were in construction. The year before, it was 17 out of 43 (39.5%). By contrast, construction employees represent 7% of the total U.S. workforce.
From 2011 to 2023, an average of 14 construction workers died from heat-related causes a year. The average for all industries was 41.
Other findings:
- By month, July (40) had the most construction heat-related deaths from 2011 to 2023, followed by June (27) and August (23).
- By state, Texas (25) had the most construction heat-related fatalities from 2011 to 2023, followed by California (13).
A total of 620 nonfatal heat-related injuries that resulted in days away from work were recorded in construction between 2021 and 2022, the most recent years for which data was available.
“With each of the past 10 years being the warmest ever recorded, HRI prevention remains critical for construction workers,” the bulletin states.
