Construction site accidents are common. When they occur, workers are at risk of becoming seriously injured. Particularly severe injuries can result in short-term or long-term disability, making it difficult for workers to make ends meet unless they apply for workers’ compensation benefits.
5 Reasons Why Injuries Happen at Construction Sites
Avoiding accidents at a construction worksite is ideal but not always feasible. Budget constraints, deadlines, and a host of other factors often contribute to the cause of construction site accidents. Keep reading to learn about some of the most common causes of construction worker injuries.
1. Falls
Falling is one of the most common causes of construction accident injuries. While it’s easy to imagine how a fall from a great height can result in injury, even relatively shallow falls can cause serious injuries. Falls can result in anything from sprains to broken bones, bruising, and lacerations, to more catastrophic injuries the likes of traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injuries.
2. Strikes by Objects
Construction sites are busy places with heavy machinery and people moving around each other in every direction. Despite safety measures and training that may attempt to limit the likelihood, it’s always possible for an object to strike a construction worker and cause severe injury.
3. Electric Shock
Construction work often puts workers face-to-face with live, exposed wires. Even if someone isn’t directly working with these wires, they can become a victim of electric shock if they unknowingly make contact with a power source, exposed wiring, certain tools, and heavy machinery.
4. Scaffolding Failure
Scaffolding is subject to government regulation, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a significant injury risk. Should scaffolding fail due to improper setup or poor-quality materials, workers can suffer falling injuries. Likewise, workers beneath scaffolding can become injured under similar circumstances.
5. Vehicle & Machinery Accidents
Construction vehicles and special heavy machinery are almost always present at construction sites. There are many different kinds of vehicles and machines, and each one presents its own set of risks to its operator and those working around them.
Workers may be at a high risk of becoming injured by vehicles and machines around the
Were You Injured in a Construction Accident?
If you are a construction worker who was injured in an accident on the job, you can qualify for the important workers’ benefits you need most right now. When you have an experienced workers’ comp attorney like one of ours from Smolich and Smolich help you with your claim, you can have a much better chance of getting the compensation you need during recovery and beyond.
For more information about how we can help, contact Smolich and Smolich online.