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    Texas Sees Drop in Construction Injuries: Report

    March 4, 2025
    Mining, including oil and gas operations, saw a 24% decline in serious injuries.
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    By: Mella Mcewen
    Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas (TNS)

    Feb. 7—Texas workplaces were a bit safer in 2024, according to Texas Mutual Insurance Company’s 2024 workplace safety trends safety report.

    Construction continued to top the list of industries experiencing injuries but reported 20% fewer claims than in 2023.

    Eric Bourquin, VP of safety services with Texas Mutual, said that should come as no surprise. With a strong economy, “If you go to Midland-Odessa, if you go around Texas, you’ll see lots of construction—commercial, residential, oil and gas.”

    Info on struck-by accidents

    Overall, Texas Mutual reported a 13% decline in severe injuries, which includes catastrophic injuries and fatalities, in 2024.

    Speaking with the Reporter-Telegram, he called that decline “fantastic” news since severe, catastrophic injuries impact not only the employers but victims’ families.

    The mining industry, which Bourquin said includes oil and gas operations, saw a 24% drop in serious injuries. Most of the oil and gas-related fatalities last year were vehicle-related, he said. And not the semis that traverse the Permian but passenger vehicles, he said.

    “Passenger vehicles that come in contact with trucks that are stopped, turning or changing lanes,” he said.

    Texas Mutual found that, while construction injuries fell, framing contractors reported 200% more claims, the majority of which involved slips, trips or falls from heights.

    The hospitality industry reported 41% more claims, and over 40% of those claims involved employees with one to six years on the job. There was no reduction in the number of claims for burns or scalds from heat or cold and there was a 67% percent increase in injuries among employees with less than a year of experience who were injured by direct contact with fire or flame.

    To make workplaces safer in 2025, Bourquin said Texas Mutual will take a multi-pronged approach. First, it will focus intervention efforts where they can have the biggest impact among businesses small and large.

    Second, he cited strategic partnerships, such as its close work with the Permian Basin Road Safety Coalition and Midland College’s Risk Management Institute.

    “We work with Midland College, Odessa College and nine other colleges across the states. We provide them grants. They’re well-equipped to get safety information out to young people starting out and to experienced workers who need refresher training,” he said.

    Bourquin added that things change daily, from technology to job descriptions and work can be done easier, safer and better.

    “Focus, slow down and don’t let distractions get in the way,” he advised.

    © 2025 the Midland Reporter-Telegram (Midland, Texas).
    Visit www.mywesttexas.com.
    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.