Common Types of Construction Worker Accidents
Construction workers do essential work which without we cannot have the infrastructure we have. Neither will we have the homes, condos, townhomes, apartments, and so on that, we live in or the buildings in which we work or operate our businesses. Construction workers also have one of the most dangerous jobs, with construction accidents occurring regularly, causing serious injuries, and often causing catastrophic or deadly injuries.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries, reach out to a Bay Area law firm that handles construction accident claims.
Construction Accident Numbers
According to the latest available statistics from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) statistics, 5,333 workers were killed on the job in a recent year, which represents 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. On average, there were more than 100 deaths a week, or approximately 15 deaths every day. Approximately 20% (1,061) of worker fatalities in the private sector were in the construction industry.
These fatalities and accidents occur in San Francisco notwithstanding the fact the construction industry follows and adheres to strict OSHA standards and guidelines. Even if a worksite is safe, accidents can still happen.
Common Types of Construction Accidents
Some of the most common construction accidents include the following:
Falls are very common
The most common construction accidents are falls, which make up approximately 35% of all construction accidents. The most common falling accident occurs when a worker falls from ladders, scaffolding, roofs, chimneys, and anywhere where their position is elevated above the ground. How severely the worker is injured depends on how high or low they are when they start falling. The higher they are, the more severe the injuries are likely to be, including the possibility of plunging to death.
Workers should have the proper safety gear to protect them from falling, but safety gear might be used improperly or might be defective, allowing them to suffer serious fall-related injuries anyhow.
Machinery Accidents
Many of the pieces of equipment and machinery used on a construction site are dangerous by themselves. The workers and their supervisors make sure the equipment and machinery they use is in good shape and operated safely as the manufacturer intended to have it used. However, equipment failure and machinery malfunction does occur despite these safety measures and causes accidents.
Besides equipment failure can be attributed to manufacturing defects, lack of maintenance, or improper training for workers using the equipment. Some construction crews might remove safety guards or other precautions to get a job done faster, but this puts everyone at risk of serious equipment-related injuries.
Vehicle Accidents
Construction can be anywhere, and if it involves road, street, or highway construction, you can expect the construction site to be a danger zone. People might speed by, even with signs warning drivers to slow down as they pass the construction site. The construction site itself is often cordoned off, limiting the lanes available for driving by or altogether rerouting traffic, which can involve confusing detours. While most drivers follow the construction warning signs and can follow the detour instructions, others are impatient and try to whiz by a construction zone, easily causing accidents. Road work zones are always common locations of construction accidents.
Falling Objects and Slips or Trips
A construction site is a dangerous place, and the requirement to wear head protection aims to prevent injuries from falling objects. Even with the headgear, people on a construction site routinely get injured, and many times, fatally. But that is just one aspect of the dangers of working or being at a construction site.
When things are not falling on and injuring or killing people, the workers and others on the construction site are prone to slip or fall courtesy of construction material and debris on the site. There are strict OSHA standards and guidelines that must be followed and adhered to at a construction site. Management of construction companies might try to keep their construction sites safe, but statistically, accidents such as falling objects or slips and falls are bound to happen.
Electrocutions
A construction site requires an ample supply of energy which is supplied through power lines and cables. These power lines and cables are required to be laid down or in a manner that prevents accidental electrocution. The same applies if the cables are hanging. However, electrocution from these power lines and cables is a common occurrence and one of the leading causes of accidents and deaths at construction sites.
The electrocutions occur when machinery or workers on the worksite accidentally contact power lines or trip poorly laid down power cables. Sometimes, accidents involve workers not wearing proper shoes and stepping on live wires and getting electrocuted.
Whatever the cause or reason, electrocution is one of the most painful injuries that occur at construction sites and sometimes immediate death is the outcome, especially given the high voltage of energy required to run heavy construction equipment.
Building and Ground Collapse
Before a building is erected, the area must be surveyed, and engineers must make sure the ground is stable enough to carry the weight of the building. After preliminary studies are done, and the site is approved for construction of the building, workers embark on the necessary excavation. However, sometimes the ground where the excavation is taking place collapses, injuring or burying alive workers who have no time to escape. The number of people who have been injured or killed due to ground collapse is staggering, knowing the injury or death of one person is one too many.
These are just some of the leading causes of accidents at a construction site. If you have been injured at a construction site, or if your loved one has been killed at a construction site, the law provides a means to get compensation for the injury or loss of life.
Consult with a San Francisco Construction Accident Lawyer
At Cartwright Law Firm, we have experienced personal injury lawyers who routinely help construction site accident victims recover for their losses. Contact us today for more information about how we can help.
