Measuring the effects of green jobs on construction worker safety and health
By Xiuwen (Sue) Dong, DrPH, Center to Protect Workers’ Rights
Nearly half a million (487,709) wage-and-salary workers in the construction industry had “green” jobs in 2011, a 26.4% increase from 2010. This indicated faster growth than any other industry in the U.S.; construction accounted for 19.4% of all green employment in the private sector that year.
Within construction, participation in green jobs differed among subsectors. Building Equipment (NAICS 2382) had the highest proportion of green jobs (11.9%), compared with only 3.7% in Land Subdivision (NAICS 2372). In addition, companies with 100 or more employees were more likely to provide training on green technologies than companies with fewer than 10 employees (27% vs. 18%). Companies that require OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 training were more likely to train workers on green technologies than companies not offering OSHA training.