According to a recent study of working conditions in the Texas construction industry, 142 construction workers died on the job in Texas in 2007 — the highest total for any state. California, with a population approximately 50 percent larger than that of Texas, was a distant second with 81 fatalities.

The report on the Texas construction industry states that one in five surveyed construction workers has suffered a workplace injury requiring medical attention. These same workers often have no health insurance (76 percent), sick days (87 percent) or vacation days (77 percent).

That means for many construction workers, time off due to an injury — even an injury that occurs through no fault of their own — means a loss of income. Because nearly half of surveyed workers earn poverty-level wages, that loss of income can be devastating to them and their families. Three-quarters of the workers were not covered by employer-based health insurance.

Because of Texas' unique workers' compensation laws, less than half of the surveyed workers reported that they were covered by workers' compensation coverage. Texas is the only state that makes workers' compensation insurance coverage optional for employers. Our state ranks last in the nation in workers' comp coverage, and when employers don't provide workers' compensation coverage, the employees or hospitals are forced to pay for the medical costs of work-related injuries.

In addition, 64 percent of surveyed construction workers had received no basic health or safety training. Indeed, nearly half were required to provide their own safety equipment — 47 percent of residential construction workers provide their own hardhats.