The construction industry is one of the riskiest sectors worldwide, with crane operations being one of the most dangerous activities. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the key factors involved in crane-related occupational accidents in the construction industry in Spain. To this end, 1314 accidents involving cranes were analyzed from a total of 241,937 accidents that occurred in the construction of buildings. The data were collected from the Spanish government’s occupational accident statistics corresponding to the years 2012–2021. The results evidenced a statistically significant relationship between cranes as the material agent and the size of the company, with 95% of cases corresponding to small- or medium-sized companies (less than 250 employees). Additionally, it shows how the crane operator is identified as a material contributor to crane accidents in the construction industry, and may be considered a key component to these accidents. In conclusion, improving the knowledge gained about the key factors in crane-related accidents at work in the construction industry provides essential information that helps to design and implement appropriate preventive measures to avoid the recurrence of unwanted events with these machines.

The analysis of the economic impact of occupational health and safety has been side-lined for many years. Various studies have acknowledged the importance of analysing the seriousness of accidents on the basis of the number of working days lost due to injuries sustained in such accidents in different economic sectors. In this longitudinal comparative study, we analyse the average duration of sick leave associated with 4,098,520 accidents that occurred in Spain between 2013 and 2019, and more specifically with 5724 accidents involving direct and indirect electrical contact. Based on the number of lost workdays, the relationship between the seriousness of electrical accidents and the economic sectors where they occur is explored via contingency tables in which statistical Chi-square value (χ2) was calculated. The main results obtained show that the average duration of sick leave shows an upward year-on-year trend in all three economic sectors. In addition, accidents due to direct and indirect electrical contact occur in all sectors, and the injuries produced in this type of accident are more severe than those produced in the sum of all accidents in Spain. Our figures show that the longest duration of sick leave occurs in the primary sector, followed by the tertiary and the secondary sectors. These results should prompt the competent authorisites to require businesses to maintain the equipment and facilities in good order, and to introduce effective supervision programmes that guarantee compliance with the measures enforced and reduce the serious consequences of electrical accidents.