Top 10 Worst States for Construction Safety

May 18, 2023
States with the weakest OSHA enforcement in terms of inspections, citations, and fines also generally had the highest injury and fatality rates, according to a survey from InsuranceRanked.

Construction work is dangerous all across the U.S., but laborers in some states have it worse than others. To find out which states were better, or worse, InsuranceRanked analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia and ranked them by injury, illness, and fatality rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and inspection, citation, and penalty data from OSHA.

The study concluded that states with the weakest OSHA enforcement in terms of inspections, citations, and fines also generally had the highest injury and fatality rates. 

A note about the data: InsuranceRanked said "OSHA and BLS data for occupational safety and health is known to be full of gaps, and this is what we found, as well. We excluded four states from the ranking because they were missing more than one piece of critical data: South Dakota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire."

To see a full ranking click here

About the Author

Adrienne Selko | Senior Editor

Email [email protected]

LinkedIn

Adrienne Selko is also the senior editor at Material Handling and Logistics and is a former editor of IndustryWeek. 

 

 

 

Sponsored Recommendations

Aug. 22, 2025
Join this session to see how your safety performance compares with insights from 1,000+ frontline workers in high-risk industries and uncover hidden risks, including confidence...
Aug. 22, 2025
Follow a straightforward 5-step process to substitute hazardous chemicals in your workplace. Learn how to identify high-risk substances, evaluate safer alternatives, implement...
Aug. 22, 2025
Cut through the complexity of chemical safety with this practical 6-step guide. You'll get straightforward steps to make sure you have the right Safety Data Sheets, risk assessments...
Aug. 22, 2025
Managing chemicals safely starts with getting your Safety Data Sheets (SDS) right. If your files are scattered, outdated, or hard to navigate, this guide shows you what SDSs are...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!