When it comes to work, construction is one of the most dangerous industries out there. Construction workers face all different kinds of on-the-job dangers, like falls, electrocution, automobile collisions, crushing injuries, cave-ins, and many more. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the majority of fatal and nonfatal workplace injuries that take place are preventable, but in order to reduce workplace injury rates employers must first commit to taking the necessary steps to promote the safety and health of workers.
OSHA reports that every one in five worker deaths is in the construction industry. Each year, the agency compiles a list of the ten most commonly cited safety violations in the industry. Last year, the leading culprits of preventable construction injuries and deaths were:
Despite being known contributors to catastrophic workplace incidents, violations like these continue to happen every day. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roughly 150,000 construction site injuries and over 1,000 fatalities take place annually.
There are numerous improvements that employers in the construction industry need to make to prevent these incidents from occurring. EHS Today, a leading occupational safety and health magazine for individuals in the service, manufacturing, and construction sectors, has several useful recommendations to inhibit the problematic injury rates. Here are just a few of the publication’s top examples of ways to keep construction workers safe:
When employers fail to take the necessary steps to protect the hardworking men and women in the construction industry, accidents – and injuries – happen. The BLS reports that events or exposures like overexertion and bodily reactions, contact with objects and equipment, falls, slips, and trips, transportation incidents, and violence are the top causes behind industrial injuries. While workers can sustain all different kinds of injuries from these events (and others), some of the most common nonfatal injuries are sprains, strains, and tears, general soreness and pain, bruises and contusions, cuts, lacerations, and punctures, and fractures. Other common injuries, which can be nonfatal or fatal include:
If you get hurt in a construction site accident, it is important to take a few steps. First, notify your supervisor. You should do this as quickly as possible and be sure to state the date of the injury, how it happened, which body parts were affected, and be sure to classify it as a work-related injury. Next, see a doctor. Even minor injuries can develop into costly medical conditions that sometimes prevent a person from returning to work. It is also crucial to follow up and keep records of your injury (like keeping track of all medical visits, bills and all other updates that are relevant to the injury).
Next up, it is a good idea to contact an experienced attorney. A construction accident lawyer can help injured employees follow all necessary procedures for filing a workers’ compensation claim, as well as to determine if a valid third party claim is present. Whereas workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that provides wage replacement and medical benefits, an injured worker may file a third party claim when a person or entity other than the employer bears responsibility for what happened. Just a few examples of third parties that may be responsible for a worker’s injuries include manufacturers or dealers of forklifts, machinery, or other types of defective equipment, property owners or landlords who failed to recognize or remediate dangerous conditions, and general contractors if the injured worker was employed by a subcontracting unit at the time of the incident.
The attorneys at Galfand Berger have successfully litigated construction accident cases for decades. Here are a few examples of some of our firm’s recoveries:
If you would like to speak to a member of our legal team about an injury that you or one of your loved ones sustained, contact a representative online now who can help.
Galfand Berger LLC has offices located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Reading and Lancaster, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To schedule a consultation, call us at 800-222-8792 or complete our online contact form.