Working in construction can be dangerous. It does not always require a degree from college, but it pays well because of that danger.

However, with that danger comes the chance of injury. If you get hurt, you could miss work for a long time, depending on the injury.

Construction Placements recently released a report analyzing the most common job site injuries in the 2020s, according to Big News Network. Five of the report’s most prevalent construction injuries are outlined below.

Loss of Balance

The most common cause of serious injury on job sites are trips, slips, and falls. Workers can easily fall from a roof, ledge or section of scaffolding. Since many commercial construction projects involve multi-story high-rises, the chances of stumbling and falling are even greater the higher you go.

Materials and tools are often stacked and stored around the construction site. Workers need to avoid them so that they do not trip. Walking on snow and ice can also cause a loss of stable footing, resulting in a bad fall. This is especially true for workers who brave the elements when repairing pavement and roads.

Vehicle Injuries

Some of the most common construction site fatalities are the result of transportation-related accidents, such as being hit by a truck, crane, tractor-trailer, bulldozer or backhoe. The vehicles are always within the vicinity of construction workers.

On occasion, jobs are located very close to the highway, where motorists can strike workers. Of course, workers are mandated to wear reflective vests to increase their visibility and reduce their chances of being run down. However, the danger is still all too prevalent.

Falling Objects

Another leading cause of job site injury is construction equipment accidents. If a worker is not fully aware of their surroundings and is not protected enough, the force and weight of objects, such as metal beams, wood and piping, can cause serious physical damage.

To minimize the chance of being injured by moving objects, construction workers need to wear protective equipment, such as steel-toed boots. While it is up to the worker to purchase their own boots, the construction company must supply protective gloves, safety glasses and hard hats.

Electrocution

In 2020, the number of job site-related electrocutions was the lowest since 2003. This was likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and job sites that were temporarily shut down. That said, the number of electrocution deaths in 2020, when compared to the previous year, actually increased by 17 percent. This means more workers were injured but fewer died.

Utilize great caution when working around or near electrical lines, especially if you are excavating with a machine or digging by hand. To minimize the dangers of job site electrocution, you need to locate and identify all electrical utilities prior to beginning work. In addition, you must be aware of all buried and overhead lines prior to utilizing any construction equipment.

Trenches

Excavating deep trenches on construction sites is a common occurrence. You need to dig trenches to install foundations, repair underground piping, construct roads and bridges and more. All too often, these trenches collapse on workers, burying them alive.

To protect against a collapsing trench, construction workers should never set foot inside an unprotected trench or an excavated area that is deeper than 5 feet without protective devices, like steel plating, set in place.

Construction can be a lucrative and fun job. Nevertheless, it is also dangerous. The dangers are all around you. If you are not fully aware of them, chances are that you will be injured one day. But you can prevent job site injury by taking every safety precaution available. If your boss is not spelling out the dangers to you and providing you with the necessary safety equipment, it is up to you to report them to the higher-ups in the company. Your life just might depend on it.