Struck-By Deaths in Construction: What the Research Tells Us and How to Stop Them

A Worker Dies, and the Pattern Repeats

Picture this: a laborer is working near a concrete pump truck on a commercial building site. The boom swings unexpectedly. He never sees it coming. Or a flagger on a highway resurfacing project is struck by a pickup truck whose driver drifted into the work zone at 55 miles per hour. Or a carpenter on the third floor of a wood-frame structure is hit in the head by a wrench that slipped from a co-worker's hand two stories above.

These are not rare events. They are not freak accidents. They are struck-by incidents, and they kill construction workers every week in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,075 construction workers died on the job in 2023, and struck-by hazards accounted for roughly one in nine of those deaths (Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2023"). The pattern has persisted for decades, and in many respects, it has gotten worse.

This article examines what the research says about struck-by fatalities in construction. It pulls from federal data, peer-reviewed studies, and industry reports to give safety managers a clear, evidence-based picture of who is dying, how they are dying, and what the most effective prevention strategies look like. Every factual claim is cited so you can trace it back to the source.

The Scale of the Problem

Where Struck-By Fits in the Fatal Four

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration groups the leading causes of construction death into four categories known as the Fatal Four: falls, struck-by incidents, electrocutions, and caught-in/between hazards. Together, these four event types account for 58.6 percent of all construction fatalities (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "Commonly Used Statistics"). Eliminating them entirely would save approximately 625 workers' lives every year (OSHA Outreach Courses, "OSHA Fatal Four Hazards: What to Know in 2026").

The breakdown looks like this:

• Falls: 33.5 percent of construction deaths
• Struck-by incidents: 11.4 percent of construction deaths
• Electrocution: 8.4 percent of construction deaths
• Caught-in/between: 5.4 percent of construction deaths

(OSHA Outreach Courses, "OSHA Fatal Four Hazards")

Falls dominate the conversation, and rightfully so. But struck-by incidents hold a stubborn second place among the Fatal Four and deserve far more attention than they typically receive. At 11.4 percent, struck-by hazards kill more construction workers than electrocution and caught-in/between events combined.

The Numbers Are Going in the Wrong Direction

If you assumed that struck-by deaths have been declining as the industry modernizes, the data says otherwise. A July 2024 data bulletin from the Center for Construction Research and Training found that from 2011 to 2022, the total number of fatal injuries in construction increased by 39.8 percent, rising from 781 to 1,092 (Center for Construction Research and Training, "Data Bulletin, July 2024"). This is not a marginal uptick. It represents a fundamental failure to keep pace with workforce growth through effective safety interventions.

The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the toll continuing: 1,075 construction deaths in 2023, followed by 1,032 in 2024, a modest 4 percent decline that brought total workplace fatalities across all industries down to 5,070 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024"). The 2024 dip is encouraging, but it does not reverse the long-term upward trend.

To put the daily toll in perspective, OSHA reports that approximately 15 workers die on the job every day across all industries in the United States, down from about 38 per day in 1970 (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "Commonly Used Statistics"). Progress has been made in the broader economy, but the construction sector has not shared equally in those gains.

Nonfatal Injuries: The Larger Iceberg

Fatal incidents are only the visible tip. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that between 2018 and 2020, an average of approximately 15,200 nonfatal struck-by injuries occurred per year in the construction sector (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector"). These injuries result in broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, and soft tissue injuries that can end careers and permanently diminish quality of life.

The ratio of nonfatal to fatal struck-by injuries is staggering. For every worker killed by a struck-by event, dozens more are seriously hurt. Safety managers who focus exclusively on fatality prevention are missing the full scope of the hazard.

Sub-Categories of Struck-By Deaths

Not all struck-by incidents are the same. Understanding the sub-categories is essential for targeting prevention efforts. OSHA's Construction eTool identifies three primary categories, while NIOSH and the research literature generally break the hazard into four types: falling objects, flying objects, swinging objects, and rolling objects (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "eTool: Construction - Struck-By"). In practice, the data clusters around two dominant patterns: vehicles and falling or flying objects.

Struck by Vehicles and Mobile Equipment

Vehicles and mobile equipment are the single deadliest sub-category of struck-by hazards. In 2019, struck-by-vehicle incidents accounted for 47 percent of all struck-by construction fatalities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector"). OSHA's eTool puts an even finer point on it: one in four "struck by vehicle" deaths across all industries involve construction workers, more than any other occupation, and approximately 75 percent of struck-by fatalities involve heavy equipment such as trucks or cranes (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "eTool: Construction - Struck-By").

The types of vehicles involved span everything from dump trucks and concrete mixers to backhoes, forklifts, and pickup trucks. Common scenarios include:

• Backing incidents: A vehicle operator reverses without a clear line of sight, striking a worker behind the machine. These account for a significant share of equipment-related deaths.
• Roadway incursions: A motorist enters a highway work zone and strikes a flagger, laborer, or equipment operator. The Federal Highway Administration reports that in 2023, 899 people died in work zone crashes, including 176 pedestrians struck and killed inside a work zone (Federal Highway Administration, "Work Zone Facts and Statistics").
• Loss of control on grades: Haulage vehicles on sloped terrain lose braking power or roll, crushing workers below.
• Pinch points near operating equipment: Workers positioned between a machine and a fixed object, such as a wall, trench box, or another piece of equipment.

The NIOSH data reveals an important distinction between fatal and nonfatal struck-by injuries. While 48 percent of fatal struck-by injuries are transportation-related, only 20 percent of nonfatal struck-by injuries involve transportation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector"). This means that vehicle-related struck-by events are disproportionately deadly. When a 40,000-pound dump truck strikes a human body, the outcome is almost always catastrophic.

Struck by Falling Objects

Falling objects are the second most common cause of struck-by fatalities, accounting for approximately 27 percent of struck-by deaths in construction in 2019 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector"). This category includes tools dropped from elevation, materials dislodged during overhead work, structural components that fall during erection or demolition, and unsecured loads released from cranes or hoists.

Common falling-object scenarios include:

• Hand tools dropped from scaffolds or elevated platforms. A wrench, hammer, or tape measure falling even two stories can generate enough force to cause a fatal head injury.
• Materials knocked from a stack or shelf. Lumber, pipe, steel beams, and other stored materials can fall when a load shifts or when equipment bumps a storage rack.
• Crane load failures. Rigging defects, overloading, or operator error can release suspended loads onto workers below.
• Demolition debris. Workers at lower levels during selective demolition are exposed to falling concrete, brick, and structural steel.

For nonfatal injuries, the pattern inverts. NIOSH found that 56 percent of nonfatal struck-by injuries fell into the "other struck-by" category, which includes falling and flying objects as opposed to vehicle strikes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector"). These injuries are extremely common and represent a constant daily risk on virtually every construction site.

Struck by Flying and Swinging Objects

Flying objects include debris launched by power tools (grinders, saws, nail guns, pneumatic chippers), fragments from explosive-actuated tools, and particles thrown during concrete cutting or demolition. Swinging objects include loads on crane hooks that shift unexpectedly, suspended pipes or beams during installation, and mechanical components under spring tension that release suddenly.

While these sub-categories account for a smaller share of fatalities than vehicles or falling objects, they are responsible for a very high volume of nonfatal injuries, including eye injuries, lacerations, concussions, and dental fractures. OSHA requires eye and face protection under 29 CFR 1926.102 and head protection under 29 CFR 1926.100 precisely because of the frequency of these events (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "eTool: Construction - Struck-By").

Road Construction: A Special Case

Road construction and highway work zones deserve separate discussion because the hazard profile is fundamentally different from building construction. In road work, the primary threat comes not from on-site equipment but from motorists passing through or adjacent to the work zone.

The Work Zone Death Toll

The Federal Highway Administration reports that 899 people died in work zone crashes in 2023 and that 176 of those were pedestrians struck inside a work zone (Federal Highway Administration, "Work Zone Facts and Statistics"). Work zone fatalities decreased approximately 7 percent from 2021 to 2023, and the 2022 figure represented the first year-over-year decline since 2018 (Federal Highway Administration, "Work Zone Facts and Statistics"). While that trend is positive, the absolute numbers remain unacceptable.

Vehicle Strikes Are Becoming More Dominant

A troubling trend has emerged in the data. In 2015, 35 percent of highway worker fatalities at road construction sites resulted from a vehicle striking a worker. By 2021, that figure had risen to 63 percent (Center for Construction Research and Training, "Chart Book 6th Edition: Fatalities at Road Construction Sites"). That is a near-doubling in six years, suggesting that whatever mitigation strategies were in place during that period were not keeping up with the changing traffic environment.

Contributing factors identified in the FHWA data include:

• Speed: 34 percent of fatal work zone crashes in 2022 involved speeding (Federal Highway Administration, "Work Zone Facts and Statistics").
• Rear-end collisions: 21 percent of fatal work zone crashes were rear-end collisions, often caused by inattentive driving or sudden slowdowns.
• Commercial vehicles: 30 percent of fatal work zone crashes involved large trucks or buses, whose mass and stopping distance magnify the severity of any impact (Federal Highway Administration, "Work Zone Facts and Statistics").
• Distracted driving: While precise work-zone-specific distracted driving data is limited, the rise of smartphone use since 2015 closely parallels the increase in vehicle-strike fatalities at road construction sites.

Implications for Safety Managers

If you manage safety on road construction projects, the data is clear: vehicle intrusion is your dominant threat, and it has been growing. Positive protection barriers, not just cones and delineators, should be the default whenever traffic speeds exceed 45 miles per hour. Attenuator trucks, temporary concrete barriers, and automated flagger assistance devices offer measurably better protection than traditional setups.

The Financial Cost of Struck-By Injuries

Struck-by incidents are not only a human tragedy. They carry enormous financial costs that affect employers, workers' compensation systems, and the broader economy.

Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index

The 2025 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, which uses 2022 workers' compensation data, found that the top ten causes of serious workplace injuries cost U.S. employers $50.87 billion per year, accounting for over 86 percent of the total $58.78 billion in annual workplace injury costs (Liberty Mutual Group, "2025 Workplace Safety Index"). Within that ranking:

• Struck by object or equipment and falls to a lower level were tied at approximately $5.8 billion each, sharing the third and fourth positions (Liberty Mutual Group, "2025 Workplace Safety Index").
• Struck against object or equipment added another $1.7 billion (Liberty Mutual Group, "2025 Workplace Safety Index").

Combining the "struck by" and "struck against" categories, the total cost of object-and-equipment contact injuries exceeds $7.5 billion per year. For context, that is more than the entire GDP of several small nations.

The Paradox of Declining Rates and Rising Costs

Liberty Mutual's 25-year longitudinal data reveals a paradox that every safety manager should understand. Over the 25 years covered by the index, the rate of serious workplace accidents fell by approximately 40 percent. Yet the total cost of workers' compensation benefits increased by 30 percent over the same period (Liberty Mutual Group, "2025 Workplace Safety Index"). This means that while injuries are happening less often, each injury that does occur costs significantly more in medical treatment and lost wages. For struck-by events, which tend to produce severe trauma, the cost-per-incident trend is especially relevant.

What These Numbers Mean for Your Budget

If you are making the business case for struck-by prevention, the numbers above give you concrete ammunition. A single struck-by fatality can generate:

• Workers' compensation death benefits (varies by state, but often $250,000 to $500,000 or more)
• OSHA penalties (up to $165,514 per willful violation as of 2025)
• Litigation costs if negligence is alleged
• Project delays and equipment impoundment during investigation
• Experience modification rate increases that raise insurance premiums for years
• Indirect costs (hiring and training replacement workers, morale impacts, reputational damage) estimated at 2 to 10 times the direct costs

Prevention is not just the right thing to do. It is the least expensive option by a wide margin.

OSHA's Regulatory Framework for Struck-By Hazards

Unlike fall protection, which is governed by a single comprehensive standard (29 CFR 1926 Subpart M), struck-by hazard prevention is spread across multiple OSHA regulations. This can make compliance more complex, but the requirements are well-established.

Key Standards

The following OSHA construction standards directly address struck-by hazards:

• 29 CFR 1926.100 — Head Protection: Requires hard hats where there is a danger of head injury from impact, falling, or flying objects. This is the most basic and universally applicable struck-by protection on a construction site.
• 29 CFR 1926.102 — Eye and Face Protection: Requires eye and face protection when workers are exposed to flying objects, fragments, or particles. Applies to grinding, cutting, chipping, sawing, and similar operations.
• 29 CFR 1926.250 — General Requirements for Material Storage: Addresses how materials must be stacked, stored, and secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse.
• 29 CFR 1926.451 — Scaffolds (General Requirements): Includes requirements for toeboards and screens to prevent objects from falling off scaffold platforms onto workers below.
• 29 CFR 1926.501-503 — Fall Protection (Subpart M): While primarily a fall standard, Subpart M's requirements for guardrails, covers, and warning systems also prevent objects from entering lower work areas.
• 29 CFR 1926.601 — Motor Vehicles: Requires safety features on motor vehicles used at off-highway construction sites, including functioning brakes, audible alarms, and seat belts.
• 29 CFR 1926.602 — Material Handling Equipment: Addresses earthmoving, compaction, and lifting equipment safety requirements.
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC — Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Comprehensive crane safety standard covering operator certification, load capacity, rigging, and exclusion zones under suspended loads.
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q — Concrete and Masonry Construction: Addresses hazards from collapsing forms, shoring failures, and unsupported masonry walls, all of which can cause struck-by events.

OSHA's General Duty Clause

Where no specific standard exists for a particular struck-by hazard, OSHA can cite employers under Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, the General Duty Clause. This provision requires employers to furnish a workplace "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm." Struck-by hazards from unsecured materials, unmarked swing radii, or inadequate traffic control in work zones have all been cited under the General Duty Clause.

Enforcement Trends

OSHA has increasingly emphasized struck-by prevention through its National Emphasis Programs and through partnerships with NIOSH on the annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents. The stand-down encourages employers to pause work for safety discussions specifically about struck-by hazards, following the successful model of the fall prevention stand-down. While enforcement alone does not prevent injuries, the agency's focus sends a clear signal about the severity of the hazard.

Evidence-Based Prevention Strategies

The research literature and federal agency guidance converge on a set of prevention strategies that, when implemented together, can substantially reduce struck-by fatalities and injuries. These strategies follow the hierarchy of controls: eliminate the hazard first, then engineer it out, then use administrative controls, and finally rely on personal protective equipment.

Elimination and Substitution

The most effective way to prevent a struck-by incident is to ensure that no worker is in the path of a moving vehicle, falling object, or flying debris in the first place.

• Exclusion zones around operating equipment. Establish clearly marked zones where no foot traffic is permitted while cranes, excavators, or other heavy equipment is operating. OSHA's crane standard (Subpart CC) already requires exclusion zones under suspended loads, but the principle should extend to all heavy equipment.
• Mechanical material handling instead of manual. Where possible, use material hoists, conveyors, or enclosed chutes to move materials between elevations rather than having workers carry or pass items near open edges.
• Phased scheduling. Sequence work so that overhead operations do not occur simultaneously with ground-level activities in the same area. This eliminates the exposure rather than trying to manage it.

Engineering Controls

When elimination is not feasible, engineering controls provide the next best layer of protection.

• Positive protection barriers in work zones. The FHWA data on rising vehicle-strike fatalities at road construction sites makes a compelling case for replacing cones and barrels with temporary concrete barriers, attenuator trucks, and crash cushions wherever traffic speeds exceed 45 mph.
• Debris nets, catch platforms, and canopies. Installing physical barriers to intercept falling objects before they reach workers below is far more reliable than relying on individual vigilance. Debris nets are especially effective during demolition and overhead concrete work.
• Toeboards and screens on scaffolds. OSHA requires toeboards at least 3.5 inches tall on scaffold platforms, but adding mesh screens above the toeboard provides additional protection against small tools and materials rolling off the edge.
• Tool lanyards and tethering systems. Tethering hand tools to the worker or to the structure prevents them from falling to lower levels. Tool lanyards rated for the tool's weight are now widely available and cost very little relative to the risk they mitigate.
• Backup cameras and proximity alarms on equipment. Aftermarket backup cameras and radar-based proximity detection systems can alert operators when workers are behind or beside the machine. While no technology replaces a spotter, these systems add a critical second layer of defense.

Administrative Controls

Administrative controls change how work is organized and managed rather than changing the physical environment.

• Spotters for all backing operations. The data on vehicle backing incidents is clear enough that many leading contractors now require a dedicated spotter any time a piece of heavy equipment reverses. The spotter must have direct visual contact with the operator and a reliable communication method (hand signals or radio).
• High-visibility clothing. OSHA requires reflective vests for night work near roadways (29 CFR 1926.601), but best practice extends high-visibility garments to all daytime operations where vehicles and foot traffic share space. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 or Class 3 vests should be the minimum standard.
• Toolbox talks focused on struck-by hazards. Research published in Safety Science found that brief, scripted toolbox talks that included real incident descriptions, prompts for group discussion, and specific action items improved worker understanding of struck-by risks and increased adoption of safe behaviors ("Toolbox Talks"). The key is specificity: a generic "be safe out there" message is far less effective than a five-minute talk about a real incident involving a dropped wrench from a scaffold.
• Pre-task planning and Job Hazard Analysis. Before starting any activity that involves overhead work, crane lifts, or vehicle movement near workers, conduct a written Job Hazard Analysis that explicitly identifies struck-by exposures and assigns control measures. Review the JHA with the crew during the morning briefing.
• Traffic control plans for every work zone. On road construction projects, a written traffic control plan conforming to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices should be in place before work begins. The plan should specify speed reductions, taper lengths, buffer spaces, and the type of positive protection required.

Personal Protective Equipment

PPE is the last line of defense, not the first. But it is non-negotiable on construction sites.

• Hard hats. Required under 29 CFR 1926.100 wherever there is a danger of head injury from impact, falling, or flying objects. Type I hard hats protect the top of the head. Type II hard hats protect the top and sides and are increasingly recommended for construction work because struck-by impacts can come from any direction.
• Safety glasses and face shields. Required under 29 CFR 1926.102 when there is a risk of flying objects or particles. Safety glasses should meet ANSI Z87.1 impact standards. Face shields should be worn over safety glasses, not as a substitute, during high-energy operations like grinding or chipping.
• Steel-toe and metatarsal-guard boots. Protect feet from falling objects and rolling equipment.

The Hierarchy Matters

A critical point for safety managers: the hierarchy of controls is a hierarchy for a reason. PPE has the highest failure rate of any control type because it depends entirely on individual compliance. Hard hats do not prevent objects from falling; they reduce the severity of impact when they do fall. Backup cameras do not prevent a truck from reversing into a worker; they give the operator better information to make a decision.

The research consistently shows that the most effective struck-by prevention programs layer multiple controls together and prioritize elimination and engineering over administrative measures and PPE. If your struck-by prevention plan starts and ends with "wear your hard hat," you are leaving your workers exposed to preventable death.

Demographic Patterns in Struck-By Deaths

The available research identifies several demographic factors associated with higher struck-by fatality risk.

Occupation and Trade

Workers in highway and road construction face disproportionately high vehicle-strike risk due to proximity to live traffic. Laborers, equipment operators, and flaggers are the most commonly affected job classifications. Specialty trade contractors involved in steel erection, concrete work, and demolition face elevated falling-object risk due to the nature of overhead operations.

Experience Level

Both very new and very experienced workers show up in the struck-by fatality data, though for different reasons. New workers may lack hazard recognition skills and familiarity with equipment movement patterns. Experienced workers may become complacent around familiar hazards or take shortcuts based on years of "getting away with it." Effective orientation programs and periodic refresher training address both ends of the spectrum.

Company Size

Small construction firms, those with fewer than 20 employees, account for a disproportionate share of construction fatalities across all Fatal Four categories. These firms often lack dedicated safety staff, formal safety programs, and the financial resources for engineering controls. Struck-by prevention outreach targeted at small contractors could yield significant returns.

What Still Needs to Change

Despite decades of OSHA regulation and industry safety programs, struck-by deaths remain stubbornly persistent. Several systemic issues continue to undermine prevention efforts.

Fragmented Regulation

Unlike fall protection, which is consolidated in Subpart M, struck-by prevention requirements are scattered across more than a dozen OSHA standards. This makes compliance harder for employers, especially small firms without dedicated safety professionals. A consolidated struck-by standard, or at minimum a comprehensive compliance directive, could improve clarity and enforcement.

Insufficient Use of Positive Protection

On road construction projects, the shift from channelizing devices (cones, barrels) to positive protection barriers (concrete barriers, attenuator trucks) has been too slow. The FHWA data showing vehicle strikes rising from 35 percent to 63 percent of road worker fatalities between 2015 and 2021 is a direct indictment of the status quo. State transportation departments and contractors should default to positive protection at any site where traffic speeds exceed 45 mph.

Technology Adoption Lag

Proximity detection systems, automated machine guidance, and camera-based blind-spot elimination technology exist and are commercially available. Adoption in the construction sector remains low compared to other heavy industries such as mining, where proximity detection is increasingly mandated. The construction industry's highly decentralized structure, reliance on subcontracting, and thin profit margins all contribute to slow technology uptake.

Toolbox Talk Quality

Research suggests that toolbox talks are most effective when they are scripted, incident-specific, discussion-based, and include clear action items ("Toolbox Talks"). In practice, many toolbox talks consist of a supervisor reading a generic topic from a binder while workers half-listen. Improving the quality and specificity of toolbox talks is a low-cost, high-impact intervention that any employer can implement immediately.

Data Gaps

While BLS and OSHA provide aggregate fatality data, the granularity needed for precise intervention design is often lacking. For example, detailed sub-category breakdowns of struck-by fatalities (vehicles versus falling objects versus flying objects) are not consistently published at the same level of specificity across all years. Improving the public availability of detailed struck-by data would enable researchers and practitioners to better target prevention efforts.

Limitations

This article relies primarily on publicly available data from OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Center for Construction Research and Training, the Federal Highway Administration, Liberty Mutual, and NIOSH. Several limitations should be noted:

• Reporting lag. Federal fatality data typically lags by one to two years. The most recent complete data at the time of writing covers 2023-2024, but sub-category breakdowns for struck-by events may be available only through 2022 or earlier.
• Definitional inconsistencies. OSHA, BLS, and NIOSH classify struck-by incidents using slightly different taxonomies. OSHA's Fatal Four uses the term "struck-by object," while BLS uses "contact with objects and equipment" as a broader category. Direct comparisons across datasets should be made with caution.
• Underreporting of nonfatal injuries. BLS nonfatal injury data relies on employer-reported Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses data, which is known to undercount injuries, particularly among small firms and in the informal economy.
• Limited access to peer-reviewed literature. The Sci-Hub searches for Grant and Hinze (2014) and related academic studies returned no results. This article therefore relies on government and industry sources rather than the full body of academic research on struck-by fatalities.
• Aggregate data masks variation. National statistics do not capture regional, seasonal, or project-type variation in struck-by risk. A highway project in a 70-mph corridor faces a fundamentally different risk profile than a residential renovation, even though both appear in the same dataset.
• Cost estimates are approximate. The Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index covers all industries, not construction alone. The $5.8 billion figure for struck-by injuries represents the cross-industry total. Construction's share is significant but cannot be precisely isolated from the available data.

Conclusion: What Safety Managers Should Do Monday Morning

The data is clear. Struck-by incidents kill roughly one in nine construction workers who die on the job. The trend from 2011 to 2022 shows a 39.8 percent increase in construction fatalities, and vehicle-strike deaths at road construction sites have nearly doubled as a share of worker fatalities. Meanwhile, each struck-by injury that does occur costs more than ever, contributing to a $5.8 billion annual burden on employers.

Here is what you can do right now:

1. Audit your exclusion zones. Walk your active jobsite and verify that no worker is required to be within the swing radius, backing path, or drop zone of any operating equipment without a specific, written justification and active control measures in place.
2. Upgrade your work zone protection. If you are still relying on cones and barrels at any site with traffic speeds above 45 mph, start the process of switching to positive barriers and attenuator trucks.
3. Implement a tool-tethering program. Require lanyards on all hand tools used above ground level. The cost is trivial. The risk reduction is immediate.
4. Improve your toolbox talks. Stop using generic topics. Write or select talks that describe a specific struck-by incident, explain what went wrong, and give workers one or two concrete actions to take that day.
5. Require spotters for all backing operations. No exceptions. If a spotter is not available, the machine does not move.
6. Review your hard hat policy. Consider transitioning to Type II hard hats that protect the sides of the head, not just the top. Struck-by impacts do not always come from directly above.
7. Track leading indicators. Do not wait for someone to get hurt. Track near-misses, unsafe positioning observations, and equipment-pedestrian conflicts. If you are not measuring exposure, you cannot reduce it.

Struck-by deaths are preventable. The research, the regulations, and the technology all exist to bring these numbers down. What is missing, in too many cases, is the sustained organizational commitment to use them.

Works Cited

Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2023." U.S. Department of Labor, 2024, www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. "National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024." U.S. Department of Labor, 2025, www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf.

Center for Construction Research and Training. "Chart Book 6th Edition: Fatalities at Road Construction Sites." CPWR, 2018, www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/the-construction-chart-book/chart-book-6th-edition-fatal-and-nonfatal-injuries-fatalities-at-road-construction-sites/.

Center for Construction Research and Training. "Data Bulletin, July 2024." CPWR, 2024, www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-July2024.pdf.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Struck-By Injuries in the Construction Sector: Common Hazards, Barriers, and Opportunities to Keep Workers Safe." NIOSH Science Blog, 4 Apr. 2023, blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2023/04/04/2023-struck-by-stand-down/.

Federal Highway Administration. "Work Zone Facts and Statistics." U.S. Department of Transportation, ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/facts_stats.htm. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

Kines, Pete, et al. "Toolbox Talks to Prevent Construction Fatalities: Empirical Development and Evaluation." Safety Science, vol. 86, 2016, pp. 89–98. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.02.009.

Liberty Mutual Group. "2025 Workplace Safety Index." Liberty Mutual Group, 2025, www.libertymutualgroup.com/about-lm/news/articles/us-companies-spend-50.87b-year-top-ten-causes-serious-workplace-injuries-according-2025-liberty-mutual-workplace-safety-index.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "Commonly Used Statistics." U.S. Department of Labor, www.osha.gov/data/commonstats. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "eTool: Construction - Struck-By." U.S. Department of Labor, www.osha.gov/etools/construction/struck-by. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

OSHA Outreach Courses. "OSHA Fatal Four Hazards: What to Know in 2026." OSHA Outreach Courses, 2026, www.oshaoutreachcourses.com/blog/fatal-four-osha/.