Construction workers’ jobs are often quite laborious and regularly involve a significant risk of having an accident and becoming injured. These types of careers may require an individual to scale high scaffolding or carry burdensome, heavy loss of bricks or other construction materials.
The effort and work it takes to build a dream home also involves many hazards, both avoidable and unavoidable; even a small stumble or trip could trigger a fall from a height that can cause serious injury or death.
This is why it is so important, and required by law, for the employers of construction workers to provide a safe and secure working environment for all employees that will lower the risk of injury to the extent possible. As many recent construction safety studies have found, a safe environment for construction workers facilitates higher quality work and decreases building delays that result from on-site accidents.
If you have been injured in a construction accident at your work site, you can seek help from a workers compensation attorney if you believe your injuries and other damages may have occurred as a result of your employer’s negligence.
Who Is Responsible For Job Site Safety?
It is important to understand that construction companies effectively shoulder the burden of providing a safe and secure work environment for the workers laboring on site. These comprehensive precautions include preventing workers’ exposure to electrical hazards, providing appropriate safety restraints when laborers are working from a significant height, and requiring the use of protective equipment that helps employees avoid injury.
Therefore, to protect your legal rights in the event of a construction accident, you should report any information regarding injuries or accidents that occur on site to your employer.
You should also properly document any days of work you may have to miss as a result of your injuries. Documentation is required for you to receive the proper compensation that you deserve after a work site trauma.
Know A Few Ways To Mitigate The Risk
Because of the risks involved in the professions, thousands of construction workers die as a result of work site injuries in the United States every year.
If you are a construction worker and want to protect your safety, it can be imperative for you to know about the different ways that you can mitigate the risk of on-the-job injuries.
- Make sure you know whether the construction company for which you work is aware of the basic rules of safety and has instituted sound precautions for your well-being.
- Before accepting any construction job, make sure that the employer follows the ASA safety standard.
- You should always feel free to ask for a safety walkthrough of the sites on which you may work to ensure there are precautionary measures in place to promote your safety.
A Further Note On Construction Worker Safety
The construction industry accounts for more than 3.1 million jobs in the United States, making it one of the most common jobs in the country. Even though this type of job can involve many risks and threats to a worker’s life, it is essential to know a few ways to ensure one’s safety. There are also several ways to improve a workplace’s conditions, as we list below:
- Make sure that the employees on-site wear the proper protective gear
If you are an employer in the construction industry, it can be important for you to ensure that each worker wears the proper protective wear. It is essential to provide the employees with the most appropriate PPE-related wear that can help them prevent serious wounds. Protective wear may also include a helmet that has the ballistic capacity to stand a fall injury.
- Construct a proper scaffolding
When raising a framework, be sure that it meets all safety requirements for workers and prevents unauthorized access to the extent possible. Any raised scaffolding should be built on stable ground with a solid balance of weight to reduce the risk of collapse when it bears loads, is exposed to vibrations from construction equipment, or faces inclement weather conditions.
Make sure to keep up with and fix any damage or design issues, in addition to ensuring that any employees who will be utilizing the platform have the appropriate training to do so; falls from heights cause nearly half of all construction worker injuries.
- Provide comprehensive safety training
Construction work is generally considered to be a high-risk job; this is why construction workers need to have training that promotes their ultimate safety. These training programs must be designed to help ensure that all workers are fully competent and aware of any risks that may be associated with the work they do on the job site. It is also advisable to include training about how to provide basic first aid to accident victims.
- Use the latest technology
Technology is more important than ever, and using available technological tools to help improve worker safety can be valuable on a construction site. Many construction companies have started having employees use a lone worker safety device, which provides a way to communicate with the worker who may be alone during an emergency. Other useful technologies include applications that improve worker visibility and panic button features for critical situations.
Construction accidents can change the course of a worker’s life or even result in an untimely death. In addition to the pain and trauma that injuries may cause, medical bills can be a significant burden, making the situation even worse. This is why it is important to seek assistance from a qualified personal injury attorney following a construction site accident.
A Fort Myers personal injury lawyer can help you to pursue the compensation you need after a serious accident. In addition, a competent attorney will be able to provide you with the moral support that you need in the aftermath of a tragedy.