During the five years Gus Anderson has worked construction, the importance of safety has been drilled into him, he said.

"You’re always aware of the need to be safe," the 30-year-old said as he worked at a new building in The Corporate Image near Northgate Mall. Mr. Anderson said he wears a harness if he is using lift equipment and is careful if he is working on a ladder high in the air.

A new report by the University of Tennessee analyzed recent fatal construction accidents across the nation, and researchers said they hope the study’s findings will help the industry improve job safety. Falls from roofs were the leading cause of death in the nearly 800 fatal construction accidents investigated nationwide in 2004, according to the report.

Dr. William R. Schriver, research director at UT’s Construction Industry Research and Policy Center, said the study found the types of accidents that are most prevalent have varied little since the study was first done in 1991. "It’s the same types of events that are killing workers year after year," he said.

Being run over by construction equipment and falling from structures were the next top causes of accidents, the report said. In July, a 58-year-old construction worker died after falling 30 feet from a scaffolding platform while working at a site in Fort Oglethorpe.

Dr. Schriver said 22 construction fatalities occurred in Tennessee in 2004. Numbers for Georgia and Alabama were not available last week.

The center will use the study to do further analysis for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, on improving specific construction operations, he said.

Another problem that can lead to fatalities is communication between Hispanic workers and bosses who only speak English, Dr. Schriver said.

OSHA will use the study to train contractors and unions better on safety, he said.

Butch Brown, president of B&W Builders Inc. in Chattanooga, said his company has weekly safety meetings.

"It keeps everybody’s mind on safety, and the big thing is to make sure your key people are looking for other people violating the rules," he said.

Mr. Brown said his top safety concerns are fall protection and defective extension cords. The company has not had an accident that caused lost work time in five or six years, he said.

The report also found that most accidents occurred on Tuesday and Monday. In nearly 55 percent of the accidents, the victim was at fault.

E-mail Angie Herrington at aherrington@timesfreepress.com CONSTRUCTION FATALITIES Top causes of the 785 fatal construction accidents investigated by OSHA in 2004: 1. Falling from or through roofs — 108 accidents 2. Being crushed or run over by construction equipment — 75 accidents 3. Falling from or through structures — 63 accidents 4. Lifting accidents — 51 accidents 5. Being electrocuted while installing equipment or using tools — 48 accidents Source: University of Tennessee’s Construction Industry Research and Policy Center