Transportation incidents accounted for more than one-third of all occupational fatalities in the United States in 2023, according to a data bulletin released by The Center for Construction Research and Training.
Defined as collisions involving vehicles on or near construction sites — whether on public roadways or off-road — transportation incidents remain the leading cause of workplace injury and death among construction workers.
Highway work zones remain particularly hazardous. In 2023, approximately 101,000 crashes occurred in work zones nationwide, resulting in roughly 39,000 injuries.
Fatal roadway incidents: Mixed trends over a decade
From 2012 to 2023, fatal transportation injuries among construction workers declined slightly — from 266 to 256 death, a 3.8% decrease. However, the fatality rate dropped more sharply, falling 30% from 3.0 to 2.1 deaths per 10,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs). The larger decline in the rate suggests employment growth outpaced fatal incidents.
FTEs are employees who work 40 hours each week for 50 weeks per year.
At the same time, fatal roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles increased 16.7% from 138 to 161 deaths and averaging 148 annually over the period.
Pedestrian-vehicle incidents — defined as workers on foot struck by vehicles or mobile equipment — declined 25% from 87 to 65 fatalities. Nonroadway incidents also fell modestly, from 29 to 26 deaths.
The overwhelming majority of vehicle-related fatalities — 91.4% — involved highway vehicles. Of those:
- 51.6% involved trucks
- 32.7% involved passenger vehicles
- 7.1% involved off-road or industrial vehicles
Specialty trade contractors accounted for the largest share of transportation fatalities in 2023 at 50.6%, with deaths rising 16.5% since 2012. Heavy and civil engineering saw fatalities fall 30.1% over the same period, while construction of buildings experienced the largest percentage increase, up 40.9%.
Texas reported the highest number of transportation fatalities among construction workers in 2023 with 31 deaths, followed by Florida (24), Michigan (15), and California and Massachusetts (12 each). West Virginia recorded the highest fatality rate of 9.0 per 10,000 FTEs.
Wok zone crash patterns shifting
Fatal work zone crashes increased 31.1% between 2012 and 2023, while overall fatalities tied to construction work zone crashes rose 29.4%. However, construction worker deaths within work zones dipped slightly, suggesting a greater share of fatalities involve motorists, passengers and pedestrians from the public.
Nighttime remains the most dangerous period for work zone crashes, accounting for 36% of fatal incidents in 2023 — up slightly from 2012. Afternoon and evening crashes have also risen, while morning incidents declined.
Construction workers represented a shrinking share of pedestrian fatalities in work zones, indicating more non-workers are being killed in these crashes.
Nonfatal injuries rise as employment grows
Nonfatal transportation injuries increased 14.8% from roughly 6,100 to 7,000 between 2011-2012 and 2021-2022. Yet the injury rate declined 16.3% over the same period — again reflecting employment growth.
Roadway crashes involving motorized vehicles accounted for 70.2% of nonfatal transportation injuries, totaling 29,200 incidents over the study period. Pedestrian-vehicle incidents represented 16.9%.
Highway vehicles were responsible for nearly 80% of nonfatal injuries. Trucks accounted for half of those incidents, followed by passenger and unspecified highway vehicles.
Specialty trade contractors saw the largest increase in nonfatal transportation injuries and accounted for nearly two-thirds of all such injuries. Heavy and civil engineering recorded a decline in incidents but maintained the highest injury rate per 10,000 workers.
The report draws on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Source: The Center for Construction Research and Training’s February Data Bulletin
