Fatalities in Construction: Never Acceptable

In 2025, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) collected information on fatal and non-fatal occupational electrical injuries from every available source. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) provide raw data that ESFI reviews and analyzes as it is released to identify electrical safety trends. The most recent data set covers the 13 years from 2011 through 2023.

Occupations with the Most Electrical Fatalities (OSHA)

• Electrical power installers and repairers (Linemen): 122

• Wireman Electricians (Journeymen): 212 fatalities

• Wireman Electricians’ apprentices: 45 fatalities

• Construction laborers: 131 fatalities

• HVAC Controls: (BAS) 43 fatalities

“Most of the electrical fatalities that occurred in the workplace were from accidental contact with electricity,” said Daniel Majano, ESFI Program Director who compiled the data. “It is important to always be aware of your surroundings when at a job site. Whether it’s to always look up to spot overhead power lines or knowing what might be energized around your job site, it is imperative to know all the possible contact points of electricity around you.” Majano added, “Also always know when to say when and make sure you’re trained and aware of any electrical hazards"

 These fatalities to our brothers and sisters in the electrical industry are tragic and unacceptable. We need honor their losses by learning from the events that took their lives. We must change our thought processes. We cannot congratulate someone when they get shocked. We must recognize every time some vets shocked was an accident and a mistake and treated as such. We must stop thinking that there is an expectation of fatality in our occupations. That is simply not true. There are occupations like firemen, police, and soldiers where there is an expectation that they me be called upon to sacrifice their life for something of greater importance. What would be of greater importance that we do that would justify someone giving their life for it? We simply have to understand every death in our industry is tragic and avoidable.

We have to realize it everyday we walk into the site and talk about it all day. We need be constantly aware and focused, do good hazard analysis which in uses including the crew members in the process and discussion and everyone using their Stop Work Authority. Anyone no matter your position has the right and the duty to speak up and say something when we are doing something we shouldn't being or we are failing to do something we all know we are supposed to, such as a good JHA and briefing, written work procedures ( Installation plans), verifying at every box and access point that there are zero volts. Before working and never doing that with just a proximity testers unless the voltage is above 1000 volts AC or 1500 VDC but using an actual rated and listed Category III or IV meter and doing it with a live-dead-live test. Only every time, every junction box, every access point.

If you see something...say something. We need to stop the trend. We need to stop accepting that people die in our industries. They simply don't have to. We can prevent it.