Construction workers play an important role in our communities. They are responsible for building our houses, offices, roads, and schools. However, while these members of our communities have an important task they are often unfortunately injured while they are on the job, leading to thousands of injuries.
Top 9 Construction Site Injuries
Construction sites can be a dangerous place from the large machinery being used by the workers to heavy steel beams. The dangers on a construction site are well documented and have been a frequent source of injuries throughout the years. Some of the most common construction site injuries include the following:
- Heat exhaustion and heat strokes – With the summer firmly in place it seems pertinent to point out that heat exhaustion and heat stroke are an ever present danger to construction workers. Most construction workers are required to wear full-length jeans, heavy gloves, and a helmet. This as you can imagine, can leave many workers feeling overly hot in the heat of the summer.
- Head injuries – head injuries are a very common construction site injury due to falling objects, loose tools, or construction material. Workers who are digging or building structures from the bottom floor are particularly at risk.
- Spinal cord injuries – the spine is an important structure to the human body, which helps us, stand, bend, a twist. In addition, this structure contains an important part of our nervous system, the spinal cord. Whenever the spinal cord is damaged there is the potential that a person will suffer long-term injuries, paralysis, or even death. Falls are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries at a construction site. Workers can fall off ladders, scaffolding, or other building structures. If you have unfortunately endured a spinal injury, an experienced Bentonville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer would be more than happy to discuss your options with you today.
- Broken bones – One of the most common injuries plaguing construction workers are broken bones. Heavy machinery such as bulldozers, cranes, and other equipment, as well as improperly secured tools and construction material all, pose potential risks to construction workers.
- Burn injuries – Burns are another common construction site injury. Burn injuries that occur on the construction site are most often due to exposed wires, dangerous chemicals, leaking pipes and exposed metal.
- Cuts and lacerations – almost every activity and every profession carry a certain degree of danger from minor cuts and lacerations. However, in the construction injury, these types of injuries are even more pronounced. Construction workers are at risk of facing cuts and lacerations due to poorly maintained or defective tools as well as exposed nails, screws, and improperly covered edges.
- Losing a finger or limb – while it is gruesome, it is a very real reality that many construction workers have to face. Sharp tools, whirring blades, and heavy machinery all pose the risk of severing a finger or even a limb.
- Stress injuries – many people are familiar with a jackhammer and know that it causes a lot of impact on the human frame. Stress injuries are a type of injury that results from repetitive movement such as that of a jackhammer. These injuries are common throughout the construction injury and often cause debilitating pain and cause construction workers to miss work.
- Hearing losses – construction sites are loud and noisy. Not only are there loud machines, but there are people yelling and in some industries even the use of explosives. While many workers wear earplugs, often times they remove them so that they can hear their coworkers better.
These injuries are a constant threat not only to construction workers but also to their families. When a construction worker has been injured on the job they often will miss days, weeks, or even months of work as a result of their accident.
Construction Site Lawsuits
It is well known that working on a construction site can be dangerous and that accidents and injuries are common. However, while it may be easy for members of the public to establish liability if they have been injured on the job, establishing liability in a construction accident can be much more difficult.
Liability can be harder to establish in a construction site accident because it may not always be clear who is the party to blame. Liability in a construction accident may rest in an equipment manufacturer, a general contractor, a product supplier, a construction company manager or even the landowner. Because there are often many parties involved in a construction site and on a construction project this can make determining who is liable for an injury murky.
In addition to establishing who is liable for any injury, an injured construction worker must also point to some regulation or law as to why they were injured. In most cases, OSHA (the occupational safety and health administration) provides the safety regulations and rules that will be the basis for liability. However, because some workers in the construction industry and every industry do not always follow the clearly defined rules and regulations people can be injured. In addition to the OSHA violations, injuries because of someone improperly using equipment, reckless behavior, and lack of safety equipment and training all can serve as a basis for liability.
Injured on a Construction Site? Contact an Arkansas Attorney at Law
If you have suffered a serious injury or if you have lost a loved one due to the recklessness or carelessness of another, the Law Practice of Ken Kieklak can fight for you. For more than 20 years Fayetteville AR personal injury lawyer Ken Kieklak has stood up for hard-working people who have been injured through no fault of their own. To schedule your free and confidential personal injury consultation call (479) 316-0438 or contact us online.