Residential Wood Framing Stats and Facts

FACTS

Problems with Wood Frame Construction

  1. Fire Resistant Problems with Wood Frame Construction. Building a fire-resistant wood frame building requires contractors to limit the spread of fire by cladding the wood frame in materials that resist heat and treating the wood with fire retardants.
  2. Wind Resistant Problems with Wood Frame Construction. Constructing and designing of a severe-wind-resistant wood frame building is labor and cost intensive.
  3. Durability Problems with Wood Frame Construction. Both termites and moisture exposure to wood frame buildings can cost thousands of dollars in maintenance and repair.
  4. Low Thermal Mass Problems with Wood Frame Construction. The low thermal mass of wood creates buildings that are not as naturally energy efficient as high thermal mass products like stone and adobe.
  5. Shrinkage Problems with Wood Frame Multi-Story Construction. Designing and constructing a multi-story wood frame building are problematic because wood naturally shrinks when it dries.
  6. Problems with Creating Healthy Wood Framed Buildings. Building a healthy wood frame structure is problematic because they are susceptible to moisture in the wall systems.
  7. Sound Insulation Problems with Wood Frame Construction. Builders of wood frame structures must include time-consuming and costly methods to achieve sound reductions.

STATS

  • Framing is dangerous work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019 the incidence rate of recordable nonfatal injuries and illnesses for this group was 7.5.
  • The prevalence of occupational injuries among workers in the small-scale woodworking industry was high. Lack of OSH training, non-use of PPE, work experience of 1 to 2 years, and working more than 48 hours per week were all factors that contributed to occupational injuries. Therefore, workers in the small-scale woodworking industry should receive ongoing occupational safety and health (OSH) training, and personal protective equipment (PPE) should be provided and monitored.
  • The construction industry is associated with high rates of work-related injury. We used workers compensation data to describe the injuries and illnesses, claim rates, and claim costs associated with wood framing activities in construction. In past years, there were 33,021 accepted state fund workers compensation claims with direct costs of over $197 million.