Heat Kills Disproportionate Number of Construction Workers

August 18, 2025

Heat Kills Disproportionate Number of Construction Workers

  • Workers in the construction industry represented more than a third of all workplace heat-related deaths in 2023 and 2022, researchers at CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training have found.
  • That’s as construction employees represent only 7% of the total U.S. workforce.
  • Using data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, CPWR’s Fatality Map, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, and OSHA’s Severe Injury database, the researchers found that in 2023, 18 of the 55 recorded heat-related workplace deaths were in construction.
  • A year earlier, the share was 39.5%, or 17 of 43 (39.5%).
  • “With each of the past 10 years being the warmest ever recorded, HRI prevention remains critical for construction workers,” the report said.
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Wildfire Fighters at Risk Unmasked in Toxic Smoke

  • The U.S. Forest Service has fought decades of efforts to better protect its crews — sending them into smoke without masks or warnings about the risks, according to a New York Times investigation.
  • “The agency has fought against equipping firefighters with masks. It issues safety handbooks that make no mention of the long-term hazards of smoke exposure. And its workers are not allowed to wear masks on the front line, even if they want to.”
  • The agency said in a statement that it wanted to protect its crews but masks posed too great a risk that firefighters would overheat while doing the strenuous work needed to contain a wildfire.
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Michigan Safety Agency Conducts 200 Penalty-free Consults

  • Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) safety and health staff were welcomed by almost 200 employers for penalty-free consultations during last week’s Take a Stand for Workplace Safety and Health initiative.
  • The consultations focused on offering guidance, identifying potential hazards and helping employers take immediate steps to correct serious conditions.
  • MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman said the initiative reflects the agency’s education-first approach.
  • The agency focused its Take a Stand visits on high-hazard industries identified in its strategic plan, including construction sites, manufacturing plants and medical facilities.
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