Fatal injuries in the construction industry in Washington State.

Two hundred thirty-one deaths occurred in the construction industry in Washington State between 1973 and 1983, an average annual mortality rate of 27.5 per 100,000 workers. Falls, cave-ins, and electrocutions resulting from heavy equipment (boom type) contacting overhead power lines together accounted for 45.4% of the fatalities. Heavy construction had a death rate twice that of the other two construction subgroups (building and special trades construction). There was a significant trend towards increasing mortality with decreasing company size (p = 0.03). Drilling machine operators, welders, flamecutters, reinforcing-iron workers, and heavy-equipment operators had the highest proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs). PMRs for workers generally increased with age. Many of these fatal construction injuries would not have occurred had existing safety regulations been observed.