Construction Site Accidents Continue to Soar
Every year, on-the-job construction site accidents cost US building owners, general contractors, and design engineers billions of dollars—and cause worker pain, long recuperation time, and sometimes chronic disability and death. We know the stories well: the once-productive worker forced to retire early by a nagging back injury; the worker whose life will never be the same when an on-the-job accident leaves him blind in one eye; the worker whose hip is crushed under the waist-high weight of a trench collapse as he tries to rescue a coworker.
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Workers who are injured may face limits in receiving workers' compensation for their injuries and may recover damages from parties who are partially or completely at fault for causing their injuries. For example, if an injury is based on negligence, the responsible party may be held liable for damages, such as medical bills, loss of wages, and suffering. If an injury is based on a defective tool or equipment, a person may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the manufacturer of these items.
Protect Yourself By Learning More
As a construction worker, you need to trust in the safety of the equipment you use, in the soundness of construction design plans, and in the integrity and professionalism of your supervisors. Injury attorneys at Seeger Weiss are experts at handling personal injury lawsuits and receiving the maximum compensation for clients.
Why accidents occur despite increased safety awareness
Despite diligent efforts of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), numerous laws aimed at protecting workers, and countless safety manuals on ways to improve construction safety, the industry continues to rank highest in number of fatalities and work-related injuries each year (i.e., OSHA recorded 1,258 fatalities and 380,500 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2006 and 2007 respectively). We believe there are many reasons for its steady climb:- A constantly changing work environment: Each construction project presents various challenges in its plan and execution. Each worker may use heavy equipment, machines, scaffolds, and ladders. Add to this, fluctuating workers and fluctuating weather conditions, and you have a dynamic situation that’s hard to control.
- A disregard by owners/contractors on worker safety: Trying to complete projects on time and on budget, construction companies may cut corners and not follow health and safety practices, which lead to hazardous conditions and injuries. This act of negligence and disregard for employees’ health and safety can take many forms: employees not told of standards and regulations; use of employees who are not properly trained for a job; and allowing known defective equipment to still be used to save time.
- A permissive attitude toward sloppy work: Construction sites pose many dangers to workers and others in the area. Workers often must lift heavy objects, operate large machinery, and perform job duties at elevated heights. General contractors and construction site managers who tolerate sloppy work, who don't offer consistent supervision and inspections, and who use generic—instead of job-specific—risk assessments increase the potential for severe construction accidents tenfold.
- All the above characteristics can make construction projects risky and can lead to injuries and deaths involving falls, explosions, burns, electrocution, exposure to asbestos and toxic chemicals and asphyxiation.
Check Out Our Construction Accidents Pages:
- Asbestos
- Class Actions
- Commercial Litigation
- Defective Products
- Drug Injury
- Personal Injury
- Securities Fraud
- Toxic Exposure
- Accutane Side Effects
- Darvon and Darvocet
- DePuy Hip Recall
- Fosamax Femur Fractures
- Muscle Injury
- SSRI Birth Defects
- Topamax Birth Defects
- Transvaginal Surgical Mesh and Bladder Slings
- Tylenol Liver Damage
- Zocor/Simvastatin
