There were 24 construction worker fatalities in Michigan in 2003 – the same number as in 2002.

Those numbers were down from the 28 fatalities that took place in 2001, and were significantly lower than the 37 Hardhats who died on the job in 1997 – the highest number in recent years.

“Falls are traditionally the greatest cause of fatalities, followed by electrocutions,” said MIOSHA Construction Safety and Health Division Chief Rick Mee. “But the caught-between category has been increasingly significant in recent years, and within that category the cause of the fatalities was all over the map.”

The “caught-between” category raised a red flag with MIOSHA by claiming eight lives in 2003, while three fatalities were placed in the “struck-by” category.

One of the areas MIOSHA is focusing on – where caught-betweens and struck-bys are particularly prevalent – is in narrow right-of-way areas, especially along roadways. Trucks backing up and workers pinned by concrete barriers are two major hazards in these areas. Mee said four out of 10 construction fatalities occur in right-of-ways, but only about six percent of building trades workers toil in those areas.

There were seven construction deaths by electrocution in Michigan in 2003, followed by six falls that proved fatal, ranking those fatalities at two and three.

Other focus areas for MIOSHA are improving safety in the areas of falls, excavations more than five feet deep, and tall masonry walls.

A bit of good news: there were 16 construction state construction safety inspectors at the start of the Granholm Administration. Now, there are 19, plus three industrial hygienists as well as four hygienists to study asbestos cases. The former MIOSHA Construction Safety Division added “Health” to its moniker, and the hygienists were added as part of that realignment.