Information on Construction Accidents
Unfortunately, every year thousands of work-related injuries take place at construction sites. In fact, the construction industry has a higher rate of injuries and fatalities than any other industry. Most incidents are preventable, which makes construction companies responsible for not keeping up with a safe and proper work environment for their employees. Non-employees are also subject to injuries, such as bystanders and motorists.
Who is Liable
Regardless of the mandatory safety regulations, construction sites are almost always dangerous. Most of the time, construction workers’ injuries are due to the negligence of third parties. The third parties usually consist of the property owner or the manufacturer of the equipment that is responsible for the severe or fatal injury. Sometimes the improper design of machinery or improper maintenance are liable for injuries.
Types of Accidents
A common cause of severe or fatal injuries is crane incidents. Cranes are used as lifting machines and are considered dangerous. Crane incidents can result from instability, overturning, overloading, contact with a power line, or by a crane dropping an object. The events are responsible for 30% of all fatal construction accidents. Another cause for injuries is scaffolding incidents. Scaffolding is a structure used for temporary framing and building remodeling. Workers can get injured if they fall off scaffolding or if a scaffolding falls over on them. Other injuries can be caused by improper installation, improper use of the scaffold, or defective materials.
Other common accidents include: trench collapses, fires, explosions, chemical spills, electric shock, and forklifts tipping over.
Prevention
Fortunately, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is the agency responsible for regulating and inspecting construction sites. The agency has mandatory safety policies that all construction companies must abide by, as well as safety precautions for companies to enforce amongst their employees to prevent future injuries. Although accidents will happen despite safety precautions, effective training hazard awareness and safe work practices, the risk of injuries should significantly reduce if these procedures are applied.
Not all accidents can be prevented, but there are some prevention methods for a few of the common causes mentioned above. For example, there are methods to ensure scaffolding safety. For starters, scaffolds should only be put up, moved, and dismantled under proper supervision.
Other tips include taking precautionary methods to prevent workers from accidentally falling anywhere on a construction site. This means covering up all large holes, installing guardrails, and not using damaged equipment. Workers should always wear protective gear, including helmets, glasses, gloves, and steel toe boots. All workers should use machinery as instructed. Inexperienced workers should not be left alone with complex or hazardous machinery. Workers should also make sure all electric power is off before they start working on electrical circuits.
Despite the application of safety procedures, accidents still happen daily. Most of the time accidents occur due to negligence. If a construction worker was injured on the job because of negligence, the worker must remember that the law only allows a certain amount of time to file a claim. Having an experienced attorney to help with the legal process will ensure the worker gets the fair compensation he or she deserves.
Los Angeles Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a construction accident, please contact our experienced lawyers. For a free consultation, call the Los Angeles Injury Group at (310) 954-7248 to received a no-cost evaluation of your case and discuss how best to proceed forward.