Construction Accidents in US: A Comprehensive Analysis of Seasonal and Work Type Factors

10 pages•Published: July 23, 2025

Rownoak Bin Rouf, Md Abu Naeem Khan, Rachel Mosier and Heather Yates

Abstract

This study examines the correlation between construction accidents and seasonal variations by analyzing OSHA accident data in the United States over the period 2015 to 2021. While previous research has explored the general relationship between weather and accidents, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis for summer accident rates. The analysis considered the number of injuries, work types, climatic conditions, and geographic distinctions between indoor and outdoor construction activities. Following an F-test, an independent sample t-test was employed to establish significant differences between indoor and outdoor accident frequencies. The seasonal impact on the outdoor construction work and certain factors contributing to increased accident risk in warmer months, which has been established by the present analysis as one-tailed and two-tailed tests. Based on the influence of heat or prolonged work hours, the seasons were classified as Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall to identify an accident trend. The findings confirm seasonal elevated temperatures are associated with increased outdoor activity-related accidents. The data suggests that targeted safety policies, including heat stress management protocols, are crucial to mitigate the increased risk of accidents during specific seasons and in certain work environments. The results are in direct contrast to recent state laws that limit municipal power to require water breaks.

Keyphrases: construction accidents, heat effect, osha, seasonal influence, work type

In: Wesley Collins, Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference, vol 6, pages 776-785.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/NKlh
	https://doi.org/10.29007/zwtt

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2025:Construction_Accidents_US_Comprehensive,
  author    = {Rownoak Bin Rouf and Md Abu Naeem Khan and Rachel Mosier and Heather Yates},
  title     = {Construction Accidents in US: A Comprehensive Analysis of Seasonal and Work Type Factors},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 61st Annual International Conference},
  editor    = {Wesley Collins and Anthony J. Perrenoud and John Posillico},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {6},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/NKlh},
  doi       = {10.29007/zwtt},
  pages     = {776-785},
  year      = {2025}}

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