Historically, falls are the leading cause of fatalities in construction, accounting for about one-third of all fatalities in the industry. For example, in 2010 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 751 construction workers died on the job, with 35 percent of those fatalities resulting from falls.
In 2013 the trend continued, with BLS reporting 291 fatal falls to a lower level, out of 828 total fatalities. And then in 2014, OSHA has stated that there were 337 deaths from falls in construction.