What Are the Main Causes of Accidents in Construction?

Working in construction can be dangerous. With so many different moving parts, including heavy machinery, unfinished electrical work, debris, and heavy objects, it is no wonder why construction accidents can be so devastating when they occur. Unfortunately, when construction accidents occur, rather than having your back, your employer turns cold to you and instead works to protect their bottom line.

If you have been injured in a construction accident, you need the assistance of a skilled and professional workers’ compensation lawyer. Contact the “Strong Arm” John Foy at John Foy and Associates for a free consultation and case review.

Construction Accident Statistics

Construction is among the most dangerous jobs that you can work in the United States. According to the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction workers experience 213.9 accidents per 10,000 workers and around 300 deaths per year. This means that more than 2 out of every 100 construction workers will be injured on the job in any given year, almost triple the rate of average workers in other fields.

Construction workers are also injured every year, not due to workplace accidents but because of the physical strain of their work. In the last year that data was collected, almost 4,000 construction workers missed at least 1 day of work due to overexertion, or in other words, working too hard.

The Main Causes of Construction Accidents

The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or “OSHA,” has identified four main categories of construction accidents. These categories are falls, “struck-by” accidents, “caught-in/between” accidents, and electrocutions. These accidents are known as OSHA’s “focus four” and represent the cause of more than half of all construction accidents every year.

Falls

When you are working on an elevated surface, such as a roof, while doing construction work, falls are a real danger that can have devastating consequences. A fall of only 10 feet could lead to a spinal fracture, a fall of 30 feet is very likely to cause serious injuries, and a fall of 48 feet has about a 50/50 chance of resulting in your death.

To protect yourself against these risks, OSHA recommends wearing fall arrest equipment, installing perimeter protections, and covering floor openings. While these are suggestions for you, they are legal obligations for your employer. 

In any event, if you are hurt at work, you are most likely entitled to worker’s compensation. If your employer is not providing you with the proper tools that you need to keep you safe, however, you might be entitled to more. A skilled worker’s compensation attorney will review your case to see if you are entitled to more than regular worker’s compensation or, at minimum, will get you the worker’s compensation that you deserve.

“Struck-By” Accidents

“Struck by” accidents are exactly what they sound like – an accident in which the victim is struck by an object, usually one that is falling. These accidents can have devastating consequences because the object that strikes you might be very heavy and damaging. 

Even worse, according to OSHA, struck by accidents are frequently caused by your co-workers not paying sufficient attention and driving heavy equipment into you. If this happens to you, you are more than likely entitled to worker’s compensation and should contact a skilled workers’ compensation attorney to get you the money you deserve.

“Caught-In/Between” Accidents

A “caught-in/between accident” is an accident where the victim is either caught in a location that puts them in danger or is caught in-between two pieces of equipment, a piece of equipment and a wall, or two things like walls that puts you in danger. These accidents are frequently the result of falling into excavations or trenches and have even resulted in some construction workers being buried alive.

To prevent these accidents, OSHA recommends never entering locations where you could get stuck without bringing adequate safety tools with you. 

Electrocutions

Electrocutions are very common on construction sites because there is frequently open electrical wiring. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61% of all workplace electrocutions occur in construction, meaning that 82 of the 134 workplace electrocution deaths during the last year that data was recorded were construction workers.

While the cause of workplace electrocutions is often carelessness by the victims, a substantial amount of them is caused by electrical work that violates federal law or regulations. If this is the case, you might have a case against your employer or contractors that did the illegal electrical work. You should contact a worker’s compensation attorney to be sure.

What Should You Do if You Are Hurt in a Construction Accident?

If you are injured in a construction accident, you are likely entitled to financial compensation in the way of worker’s compensation. Workers’ compensation is a mechanism of state law whereby every employer is required to have a certain level of insurance for workplace injuries, and you will be paid a certain amount of financial compensation depending on the severity of your injuries.

However, workers’ compensation is a fairly complicated process. For this reason, there are lawyers who specialize in the field who can help you get the compensation that you deserve. 

Contact a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today

Workers’ compensation can be complicated, and you need the help of a skilled attorney to help guide you through the process. If you work in construction, you likely know friends and co-workers that have been injured in workplace construction accidents. 

If you need assistance filing a workers’ compensation claim after a construction accident that left you injured, you need a skilled and professional workers’ compensation attorney. Contact John Foy and Associates today for a free consultation and case review.