Work Zone Fatality Data Collection is Falling Short

Analyzing work zone crash data available from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and their Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this article concludes that neither NHTSA nor BLS reports a single, bottom-line number of workers killed in work zones. Due to inadequacies in how worker fatality data is currently collected and reported, it is estimated that the true number of workers being killed along our roadways each year could be underreported by 30 percent or more. Improving how work zone fatality, injury and accident data is compiled and reported is critical to improving both worker safety on the job and the safety of the traveling public. A link to the work zone crashes and fatalities data posted on the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse website, which cross-references several sources in an attempt to present the most accurate data, is included at the end of this article.