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This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.
As you work on a construction site, you are at risk of accidents every single day. Apart from handling heavyweight machinery, you may be often required to complete work at dangerous heights. These construction site risks may lead to severe injuries or death. On average, two construction workers die each day in the U.S.A.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), construction sites are the most dangerous workplaces for outdoor workers. Thousands of victims suffer injuries in preventable construction accidents and cannot work for weeks, months, or even years. Injuries include spinal and brain trauma, light burns, amputations, cuts, and broken bones.
OSHA has set strict safety guidelines for construction workers and construction site operators to protect employees from catastrophic injuries. But accidents still happen due to construction companies’ negligence, unresponsiveness, and incompetence. As a result, workers’ compensation laws come into place.
The workers’ compensation insurance policy protects construction workers who have had severe work-related injuries by offering financial support to cover lost wages and medical bills. Workers’ compensation also protects employers by barring workers who agree to workers’ comp benefits from suing their employers for the same accident.
Here are the most common construction accidents that make workers eligible for compensation.
Electrical Accidents
Electricians and technical workers are not the only ones at risk of electrocution. Construction sites are exposed to power lines and electrical wires that help incorporate and charge tools useful in construction projects. Dealing with faulty equipment or working near power sources can lead to electrocution and other electrical injuries when an exposed wire comes into contact with water or metal.
Equipment Accidents
When power tools and heavy machinery are misused, they can be extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, defective equipment and machines like cranes are hard to control on construction sites when defective.
Handling this type of equipment manually also holds a level of risk. Workers should get adequate training on the manual handling of tools. They must also be trained on how to test the safety of the equipment before using it.
Slip and Falls
Falls account for many construction site fatalities and injuries annually; they occur due to several things like insecure scaffoldings or a wobbly ladder. Thousands of construction workers are injured each year due to a trip, slip, or fall. Workers can avoid these types of accidents by managing the work areas and access routes effectively.
Falling Object Accidents
Many accidents happen off the ground on construction sites. Often, items such as trash, building material, and tools fall from heights and strike the workers standing below.
Even though most workers wear rugged safety helmets to prevent such accidents, this type of safety gear is not hard enough to protect them from serious head injuries.
To prevent being killed or injured by falling objects, construction workers should:
- Allow only workers who actively engage in the construction of the walls to be in a work zone.
- Put loads on concrete structures only after being safely assessed by an expert.
- Properly brace or shore structures until they are in place permanently without support elements.
- If a lifting tool fails, use automatic holding equipment for support.
‘Struck-By’ Accidents
Apart from the above common risks on construction sites, a struck-by incident is another dangerous construction site accident. Construction workers are often struck by flying or falling objects, concrete walls, and heavy vehicles and machinery pieces.
To prevent these hazardous experiences on construction sites, OSHA recommends the following tips:
- Wear personal protective gear as well as high-visibility vests
- When operating equipment, always wear a seat belt
- While backing up, do not operate vehicles if you cannot see what is behind. Ensure that the vehicle has a reverse alarm audible enough for other workers in the area to hear and that another worker is signaling that the way is clear.
- Follow all safety operating ways and drive carefully.
- Before beginning work, inspect all vehicles and equipment, ensure the brakes are working
- Chock vehicle wheels when they are not active.
Conclusion
It is everyone’s duty on a construction site to ensure they stay safe, but the employer or worksite operator has a special duty of care to ensure that all workers and visitors stay safe.
Usually, construction site equipment and vehicles cannot cause accidents if they are appropriately handled. So, training is also essential for construction workers to know how to work efficiently while being aware of construction sites’ risks.
However, if, despite all efforts to keep yourself and co-workers safe, you were severely injured while on the job due to the construction company negligence, file a workers’ compensation claim. And if everything else fails, feel free to hire a construction accident lawyer to help you pursue compensation.
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