The Construction Chart Book, now in its sixth edition, has been serving construction stakeholders for two decades since it was first published in 1997. In response to the needs of construction stakeholders, this book has evolved across editions, incorporating more data sources and covering a wider variety of topics.
The sixth edition is similar to previous editions in major content areas and layout, but is the first time as a web-based publication at CPWR.com. The online format allows for interactive features that enhance the user experience. Users can click on terms to access definitions instantly, and easily enlarge charts and tables within each page. References, citations, and databases are also hyperlinked to enable users to further explore these sources. In addition, the charts are available in both PDF and PowerPoint formats, which can be downloaded directly from the topic pages.
This new edition consists of nine sections presented in 56 topic pages containing more than 250 charts and tables. Industry Summary profiles construction establishments and their owners, and illustrates the recovery of construction after the latest recession. Labor Force Characteristics comprises the changing demographics of the construction workforce, and addresses union membership, the aging workforce, Hispanic workers, and immigrant workers employed in construction. Employment and Income analyzes variations in construction employment, work hours, earnings, and benefits (such as health insurance coverage and retirement plans), and highlights concerns about temporary workers and employee misclassification. Data on educational attainment and apprenticeships are included in Education and Training. This section also provides information regarding access to computers and the internet, and 10-year projections for construction employment, accounting for both replacement and new jobs.
Safety and health issues are covered in the remaining five sections. Hazards and Exposures describes general work conditions and hazards in construction, and discusses emerging topics such as the updated OSHA silica standard and engineered nanomaterials in this industry. Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries tracks the trends and patterns of construction injuries since 1992, providing insight into the leading causes and outcomes since the recent economic recovery. Occupational Diseases explores the prevalence of work-related illnesses among construction workers. OSHA inspections, citations, and penalties in the construction industry are found in OSHA Enforcement and Injury Costs. The last section, Health Indicators and Services, underscores health risk factors and chronic conditions among construction workers, revealing health and health services disparities among subgroups in construction.
The data contained in the Chart Book are from a wide variety of sources, many of which are large national datasets collected by government agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics are examined in this book to understand the health status of construction workers. Also included are the O*NET and apprenticeship data maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, lead exposure data from the NIOSH Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) data from the U.S. Green Building Council, and data on green construction from Dodge Data & Analytics. Several data sources are new to this edition, including NIOSH Occupational Hearing Loss (OHL) Worker Surveillance Data, the NIOSH Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies (CWCS), and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). To promote research to practice (r2p), select construction intervention methods and solutions are included in corresponding topic pages as well.
Most of the employment and demographic information in this book feature data up to 2015, matching the injury and illness data for the same time period reported in this book. However, there are some exceptions, contingent on how often a data source is updated. For instance, the industry data from the Economic Census are gathered every five years, with the most recent data collected in 2012. Since many of the figures in this book are tabulated by CPWR Data Center staff, some numbers may not be directly comparable to other publications using similar data sources due to differing quantitative methods. Readers should review accompanying notes associated with the text and charts for further information about how the findings were derived.
Despite data limitations and other constraints, this edition of the Construction Chart Book continues to provide a comprehensive resource and reference tool for our broad audience.