Despite construction’s high pay and benefits, severe work-related injuries can devastate workers and their families. They can require extensive medical treatment, long-term disability, and vocational retraining.
Falling objects, strikes by tools or materials, and electrocution are among the top causes of construction worker injury. Also known as the “fatal four,” these accidents account for over a third of all construction deaths annually.
Falling Objects
Construction workers can face many risks when performing their work on high-rise building projects, including being struck by falling objects. This is particularly true when materials, like boards or windowpanes, are being lifted and placed on building sites that are over ten stories in height.
When these items fall on pedestrians and other workers, they can lead to severe injuries and death. Even small objects, such as wood or metal scraps, can fall and hurt people around the site.
Fortunately, most of these accidents are preventable. It’s the job of construction companies, supervisors, and other upper-level management employees to take safety seriously. They should be putting up hard hats, using personal protective equipment, and taking other steps to ensure worker and pedestrian safety at all times.
But some employers and contractors need to prioritize these things, and that’s when accidents happen. If you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be able to get compensation for your losses.
To help you determine if you have a case, contact the lawyers at Adley Law Firm to discuss your situation. We can guide you through the legal process and get you the justice you deserve.
Falling objects can cause severe damage, ranging from brain injuries to spinal cord trauma. These injuries can impact a person’s life physically, emotionally, and psychologically. They can also be expensive to treat.
You must seek medical attention immediately if you suspect you have sustained an injury from falling debris at a construction site. If you do, it can be easier to know whether your injuries are permanent or if they’ll heal over time.
For example, suppose you’re a construction worker and suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In that case, you could be at risk of experiencing memory loss, mood swings, personality changes, and other severe symptoms that will significantly impact your life. You might also lose your ability to return to work, which can be devastating financially.
It’s crucial to contact an experienced lawyer as soon as possible if you are injured in a falling object accident on a construction site. You might be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, which will cover some of your medical bills and lost wages while you recover. But a personal injury lawsuit can be more effective at helping you get the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.
Striking Objects
When construction workers are on a ladder, scaffold, or roof and a tool, tool bag, materials, or other object falls from a height, they could be seriously hurt. This type of injury can cause lacerations and puncture wounds and even result in amputations.
In addition to falling objects, there are also striking objects that can be devastating to construction workers. These injuries include amputations, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and head trauma.
The most common strikes occur when objects fall from above a worker and hit them in the head or neck. This is why it’s so important to wear a hard hat.
Another particular hazard occurs when a worker works near swinging equipment or vehicle hood, dumpster lid, or another hinged object. Please pay close attention to these hazards, especially on windy days, and always keep clear of them.
One of the most common struck-by accidents involves heavy equipment and vehicles on construction sites, including bulldozers, backhoes, trucks, cranes, forklifts, and other mobile equipment. This hazard can be prevented by ensuring workers have proper training and wear the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) when operating machinery or vehicles.
In some cases, striking objects can cause fatalities. In such incidents, a worker may be thrown from a ladder, for example, or crushed under an overturned vehicle, such as a backhoe.
To prevent these incidents, workers should always check behind moving equipment or vehicles and keep an eye out for other workers and pedestrians. Additionally, they should never work in front of or directly behind a vehicle where the operator can’t see them.
Other ways to prevent this type of accident are using wheel chocks when parked on a grade or securing portable tanks, cylinders, and pipes susceptible to rolling. This hazard can be avoided by following safe work practices and maintaining a clear, level floor.
If a worker is injured or killed because of a struck-by hazard, the worker’s family could be eligible to receive compensation for their losses. These damages can cover medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Electrocution
Construction workers are exposed to several safety hazards that could cause serious injuries or even death. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the top four causes of fatalities on construction sites are falls, struck-by accidents, caught-in/between incidents, and electrocutions.
These deadly accidents occur because of a lack of safety precautions or because other factors like equipment failures and electrical wiring issues cause them. The most common type of electrocution accident involves contact with a high-voltage power line. Still, it can also happen when tools or other equipment are not adequately grounded and come in contact with energized wires.
Injuries and deaths from electrocutions can be devastating for the injured person and the victim’s family members. A person’s level of damage from electrocution depends on the amount of electricity they are exposed to, the way the current travels through the body, and other factors.
Burns are another significant injury that can result from electrocution. When an arcing current touches a person, it will ignite hot gases that can lead to severe burns and disfigurement. These injuries can be life-threatening and require surgery to treat, as well as ongoing physical therapy.
Among all types of construction workers, electrical workers are the most at risk of electrocution because they are constantly in close contact with energized wires. In addition, they are frequently near other electrical circuits and devices that may be energized, such as generators or power tools.
If a construction worker’s work area has dangerous conditions that could lead to an electrical accident, the employer or general contractor is responsible for ensuring a safe environment. If the employer or contractor fails to address these risks, they can be held liable for the injuries and fatalities resulting from electrocution on the job.
Electrocution can cause many devastating injuries, including shocks, burns, fractures, and other serious harm that can impact a construction worker’s quality of life. In addition, these injuries can prove costly for the victim’s family and finances. Fortunately, most electrical injuries and fatalities are preventable.
Caught-In or Caught-Between Injuries
Caught-in or caught-between injuries are a type of workplace accident that can cause devastating construction worker injuries. They occur when a person is crushed, pinched, or squeezed between two or more objects. These accidents can lead to broken bones, amputations, and death.
These injuries can occur when a worker works near moving equipment, is buried in a trench or is pinned between a piece of machinery and a solid object. They can also occur when a worker is in an excavation or during demolition.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has identified “caught-in or caught-between” as one of the four most dangerous risks on construction sites, along with fall, struck-by, and electrocution hazards. These accidents are often the result of negligence, improper procedures, or failure to adhere to safety regulations.
To avoid these types of injuries, workers must learn to identify the hazards and be aware of safe work practices that can help prevent them from occurring. This is especially true when avoiding cave-ins from unstable excavations and unprotected trenches.
Other factors contributing to caught-in or caught-between accidents include equipment that can tip over and machines that need to be safeguarded during operations. These dangers are common on construction sites, where workers have to operate machinery several times the weight of a human.
A worker ripping a wood panel on an unguarded compound miter saw lost his thumb after being caught between the saw and his hand. This is a severe and life-threatening injury, and it happened when he was distracted by something else on the job site.
These injuries can be excruciating and difficult to heal. In addition, they can also cause long-term physical impairments and limitations in the body. If you have been injured in a caught-in or caught-between accident on your job site, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical costs and compensate you for lost wages. To learn more about how to receive these benefits, contact a Houston workers’ comp attorney today! Getting the compensation you deserve is easier than you think!
