In the last few months this New York-based personal injury and workers’ compensation legal blog discussed the problem of falls on American construction sites. Falls are a serious threat to construction workers since they can suffer them in many different ways. Workers can fall from heights when they are not properly secured, from equipment when it moves, or even on flat ground when debris clutters their way and causes them to trip.
Beyond falls, though, there are numerous incidents of injuries on construction sites. Equipment injuries can harm workers when large devices malfunction or are used improperly. Additionally, a person who is not trained to use a piece of machinery or equipment may inadvertently harm themselves or others.
Crushes and collapses are also threats to construction workers. Crushing injuries occur when workers are caught between equipment and immovable objects or suffer injuries when items fall on them. Collapses happen when trenches and manmade structures fall and land on construction workers who are on or in them.
Other injuries that can affect construction workers are electrical burns and electrocution, repetitive motion injuries, burns from fires and explosions, breathing problems, and many others. Construction work can be hazardous to a person’s health but when employers take responsible actions to train and provide their workers with what they need, many causes of harm can be eliminated from construction sites. Workers who have been injured should always seek medical support for the harm that they have suffered, and should let their employers know about their injuries. Those injuries may be compensable through workers’ compensation claims or other methods of personal injury recovery.