Construction Focus Four: The Four Leading Causes of Construction Fatalities
What the Focus Four Are
The Construction Focus Four are falls, struck-by hazards, caught-in or -between hazards, and electrocution. These four categories account for the majority of construction deaths, so questions test whether you can classify a scenario into the right category-classification is the most common trap.
Falls
Falls are the leading cause. Key thresholds: fall protection is generally required at 6 feet in construction; guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems are acceptable. Ladders, scaffolds, and roofs are classic scenarios. Remember that fall protection must be provided and that anchor points, connectors, and rescue planning matter. A trap: assuming fall protection begins at 10 feet-that is a different context; the construction trigger is 6 feet.
Struck-By
Struck-by means an object or vehicle hits a worker-falling tools, swinging loads, or a worker struck by a vehicle. The distinction from caught-in is direction: struck-by is impact from an object in motion; caught-in involves being pinched, crushed, or pulled into equipment or material.
Caught-In or -Between
Trench collapses, being caught between a rotating part and a fixed object, and excavation cave-ins are the classic examples. Protective systems (sloping, shoring, shielding) and keeping spoils back from the edge are the controls.
Electrocution
Contact with overhead or energized lines, faulty equipment, and lack of grounding or GFCI protection drive electrocution deaths. Maintain required clearances from power lines and use ground-fault protection.
Worked Example
A worker on a scaffold is hit by a load swinging from a crane and knocked off the platform to the ground. Primary hazard category: struck-by (the impact caused the fall). If instead the worker stepped into an unguarded floor opening, the category is fall. Read the scenario for the initiating event, not the outcome.