How dangerous is it to be an LBM dealer in the United States? Would you say that your job is safer than say someone building a house? New numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that it may actually be more dangerous to be the one supplying a construction job rather than the one building it.
The 28 page report (available here) looks at employer reported workplace injuries and illnesses from 2015 across numerous industries. Of the four construction related industries represented in the survey, dealers had a higher incidence rate of injuries, and the second highest number of cases. Only specialty trade contractors had a greater number of cases. It’s important to note that this category includes incidents at big box chains such as Home Depot and Lowe’s. Data specifically for pro-leaning dealers is not yet available.
| Industry | Incidence Rate | Number of Cases (Thousands) | Cases With Days Away From Work |
| Construction of Buildings | 3.1 | 40.0 | 1.3 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 2.7 | 25.3 | 1.0 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 3.6 | 134.3 | 1.5 |
| Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers | 4.6 | 47.8 | 1.4 |
Note: Incidence rates and “cases with days away from work” represent injuries and illnesses per 100 full time employees assumed to be working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year.
The table below shows the total number of recordable cases in the construction industry as a whole for the past three years, showing that incidents of injury have been on a decline.
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
