Injuries and death are common on construction worksites. Be aware of some of the hazards.
It only takes one moment of inattention, one misstep or one defective product or machine to cause a serious or deadly accident on a construction work site. It happens every day, and every day men and women either land in hospital or don’t come home again.
It goes without saying that everything in the company’s power should be done to make a workplace safe; but sadly, this isn’t always the case. There are always those who are in a hurry to get something done, cut corners, use improper equipment, don’t use the mandated safety gear or just don’t think the rules apply to them.
“Generally speaking there are several categories of accidents that commonly happen on the job site and they fall into four main categories: electrical, falls, struck bys, and excavation and trenching. If you take a look at the Occupational Health and Safety statistics for any given year, you will be shocked at the number of serious injuries and deaths that fall into these main categories,” outlined Austin personal injury attorney Beverly Aylmer of The Lee Law Firm.
When it comes to incidents involving electricity, the unfortunate part is that people are so used to it being around that they take it for granted; become careless around it. Any worker doing his or her job in the vicinity of an electrical power circuit, needs to be wearing the proper protection. What could happen? The worker could come into contact with power lines, not use a piece of equipment using electricity properly, or not use extension cords in the right manner. This happens far more often than we might like to think.
Falls are common for the simple reason that many construction workers are doing their job at great heights. They’re climbing up and down, hauling materials in and out and hanging things like drywall. “Situations that lead to falls come in the form of shaky scaffolding construction, portable ladders not being used correctly, and unprotected sides where an employee is working. The fact is that falls are the leading cause of death on construction worksites in America today,” Aylmer said.
The ‘struck by’ category means when humans and machines meet, usually the human takes the brunt of the injuries. Heavy equipment on a job site has been known to be involved in numerous accidents and deaths, such as a forklift striking a worker in the head or a crane boom landing on a worker standing underneath it. Struck bys also include being hit by falling object and walls.
Although cave-ins aren’t a leading cause of death on job sites, they happen often enough that people need to be aware of the conditions in which they are working. For instance, working in cramped and enclosed spaces means the worker may not have enough oxygen. Toxic fumes in some spaces are deadly, drowning is a hazard if working with soaked earth while excavating, and sudden contact with underground lines, such as gas pipelines, may prompt an explosion.
“When in doubt about any injuries sustained during the course of your job, call a seasoned Austin injury lawyer and have him lay out what your rights are, evaluate your case, discuss how a lawsuit may be filed and what to expect. It’s better to have the information and make the right decision for you, rather than not be compensated for personal injuries that happened on the job,” added Austin personal injury attorney Beverly Aylmer of The Lee Law Firm.
To learn more, visit “http://www.rwleelaw.com” .
