Occupational Injury Related Deaths among Construction Workers in Uttarakhand- A Retrospective, Descriptive Study

Construction industry in India is vast and complex involving modern technology as well as the workforce. Annually construction industry alone contributes 24.2 % (on an average 38 people per day) fatalities out of estimated 48000 fatal occupational accidents occurred in India. As government megaprojects are in progress, an incidence of occupational injuries also rose among construction workers in Uttarakhand. This study aims to present a profile of victims of construction workers, the contributory factors and consequences of fatal accidents at construction sites. Cases of construction accident victims' data between October 2018 to September 2020 brought for an autopsy were studied. All victims were male out of which 16 (88.8%) were in 21 to 40 years of age. Majority was migrant workers from other states. Among the total victims, 12 (66.6%) were engaged in highway construction work and 6 (33.4%) in building construction work. Landslide and fall from height were common causative factors of an accident. Most of the victims died due to multiple injuries sustained on the body.