Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Deconstructing California's economy

A new report from Public Citizen shows the drag that construction accidents put on the state's economy and the need for more safety.

In a New York Times article published today, the paper paints a rosy picture of California's economy, one that's in stark contrast to what California residents have seen and heard in recent years. The article reported that the state's struggling economy, which in recent years resulted in a $25 billion budget shortfall, is now on a solid economic foundation and that budget surpluses may be achieved within a year's time.

One driver of the economy, reports the New York Times, is California's housing market. "Houses are sitting on the market for a shorter time and selling at higher prices, and new home construction is rising. Home sales rose 25 percent in Southern California in October compared with a year earlier."

But with increased construction projects comes increased risks of accidents at the job site.

A new report, “The Price of Inaction: A Comprehensive Look at the Costs of Injuries and Fatalities in California’s Construction Industry,” from the DC-based public advocacy group, Public Citizen, shows that workplace accidents in the construction industry are a major drag on the state's economy.

The report shows that between 2008 and 2010 the cost from occupational injuries and fatalities at construction sites across the state amount to $2.9 billion. The dollar amount was tallied by examining "direct, indirect, and quality of life costs resulting from fatal and nonfatal injuries."

"Many different issues lead to injuries in the construction industry," reads the report. "Accidental falls and contact with objects and equipment are two of the leading causes of fatal and nonfatal injuries, and oversight agencies have failed to do their part to reduce the frequency of such tragedies."

“The economic picture is quite staggering,” writes Keith Wrightson, the author of the report. “We now know that construction accidents impose huge economic costs in addition to tremendous pain for individual victims.”

In just two years time, from 2008 to 2010, 168 construction workers were killed in accidents at job-sites statewide.

Last year, the report found that 721 construction workers died while at work.

According to Wrightson, five construction-related fatalities were reported in San Diego County-- three in San Diego, and two in Chula Vista.

Wrightson pegs the cost from the fatal workplace accidents at $24.5 million. And that's just a fraction of the total amount. No detailed information on non-fatal incidents in San Diego County was provided-- the estimated cost for a non-fatal incident in 2010 was calculated at $41,378.

The report shows that the state's occupational safety and health department is inadequate when looking at the number of construction projects occurring at one time. "In 2010, there were only 237 Cal/OSHA inspectors assigned to inspect 1,337,867 California workplaces. With such insufficient resources, it would take Cal/OSHA approximately 158 years to inspect each workplace in California once."

Suggestions to decrease the rate of construction accidents include adopting a statewide policy that requires contractors to provide safety records before becoming eligible for state contracts, have contractors provide more training for workers, and tie in safety practices with government contracts.

"California should adopt legislation that speaks to these issues," reads the report. "It’s the right thing to do and will keep Califonia as a leader in occupational safety and health."

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Mid-range fleet scoring bluefin limits off Ensenada

Rockfish to open at all depths April 1st (no foolin’)

In a New York Times article published today, the paper paints a rosy picture of California's economy, one that's in stark contrast to what California residents have seen and heard in recent years. The article reported that the state's struggling economy, which in recent years resulted in a $25 billion budget shortfall, is now on a solid economic foundation and that budget surpluses may be achieved within a year's time.

One driver of the economy, reports the New York Times, is California's housing market. "Houses are sitting on the market for a shorter time and selling at higher prices, and new home construction is rising. Home sales rose 25 percent in Southern California in October compared with a year earlier."

But with increased construction projects comes increased risks of accidents at the job site.

A new report, “The Price of Inaction: A Comprehensive Look at the Costs of Injuries and Fatalities in California’s Construction Industry,” from the DC-based public advocacy group, Public Citizen, shows that workplace accidents in the construction industry are a major drag on the state's economy.

The report shows that between 2008 and 2010 the cost from occupational injuries and fatalities at construction sites across the state amount to $2.9 billion. The dollar amount was tallied by examining "direct, indirect, and quality of life costs resulting from fatal and nonfatal injuries."

"Many different issues lead to injuries in the construction industry," reads the report. "Accidental falls and contact with objects and equipment are two of the leading causes of fatal and nonfatal injuries, and oversight agencies have failed to do their part to reduce the frequency of such tragedies."

“The economic picture is quite staggering,” writes Keith Wrightson, the author of the report. “We now know that construction accidents impose huge economic costs in addition to tremendous pain for individual victims.”

In just two years time, from 2008 to 2010, 168 construction workers were killed in accidents at job-sites statewide.

Last year, the report found that 721 construction workers died while at work.

According to Wrightson, five construction-related fatalities were reported in San Diego County-- three in San Diego, and two in Chula Vista.

Wrightson pegs the cost from the fatal workplace accidents at $24.5 million. And that's just a fraction of the total amount. No detailed information on non-fatal incidents in San Diego County was provided-- the estimated cost for a non-fatal incident in 2010 was calculated at $41,378.

The report shows that the state's occupational safety and health department is inadequate when looking at the number of construction projects occurring at one time. "In 2010, there were only 237 Cal/OSHA inspectors assigned to inspect 1,337,867 California workplaces. With such insufficient resources, it would take Cal/OSHA approximately 158 years to inspect each workplace in California once."

Suggestions to decrease the rate of construction accidents include adopting a statewide policy that requires contractors to provide safety records before becoming eligible for state contracts, have contractors provide more training for workers, and tie in safety practices with government contracts.

"California should adopt legislation that speaks to these issues," reads the report. "It’s the right thing to do and will keep Califonia as a leader in occupational safety and health."

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.