O*NET Occupational Exposures in Construction
Construction workers frequently work in environments with unsafe conditions, including severe temperatures, loud noises, extremely bright or dim lighting, and countless other chemical and physical hazards (e.g., silica dust, power tools, or heavy machinery). Many of these occupational hazards and exposures can lead to severe injury or illness, necessitating the need for continuous monitoring.
Using data from the Occupational Information Network database, this dashboard examines occupational exposure scores for a variety of conditions found on construction sites, including job hazards, environmental exposures, and risky body positions. The dashboard-level filter, Occupational Exposure, updates both the charts and the bolded and underlined key findings for the first three charts. The chart-level filter, Occupation, updates the corresponding occupation chart and key findings.
Following the interactive dashboard, you will find more information on the data source, definitions, chart notes, a downloadable data file, and recommended citation. This interactive data dashboard corresponds to this chapter in the PDF version of the Construction Chart Book-7th edition. Data will be updated annually as available. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected].
About the Data
2025 O*NET OnLine Database. https://www.onetonline.org/.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 Occupational Wage and Employment Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
Definitions and Chart Notes
Definitions
- Exposure scores
- Body Positioning
- A score of 0 means that workers never report performing work in a given body position whereas a score of 100 is assigned when workers engage in this body position continually or almost continually. All exposures reported in this category use the following scale: 0 = Never; 25 = Less than half the time; 50 = about half the time; 75 = More than half of the time; 100 = continually or almost continually.
- Environmental Conditions and Job Hazards:
- A score of 0 means that workers are never exposed to a given hazard, whereas a score of 100 is assigned when exposure occurs daily or continually. All exposures reported in these two categories use the following scale: 0 = Never, 25 = Once a year or more but not every month; 50 = Once a month or more but not every week; 75 = Once a week; 100 = every day.
- Construction Occupations – Occupations in which 51% or more of employees reported work under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 23 (Construction). Occupations are reported by their Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) code.
- Body Positioning
Chart Notes
- The first bar chart compares the average score for construction with the average score for occupations in all industries.