CONSTRUCTION INJURIES

Construction site employees work in one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. Hundreds of thousands of workers are injured and even killed in construction site accidents each year. With the large amount of construction going on in Florida today, here are some important things to know about construction injuries:

• It is the responsibility of the construction companies to thoroughly inspect each site with safety engineers and provide safety programs for employees. When these measures are not implemented or fail to protect construction workers, the owners, architects, insurance companies, and equipment manufacturers can be legally responsible.
• Third party negligence means the manufacturers of the various equipment and products used on the site can be found liable. It is also possible that subcontractors and even the general contractor may be contractually responsible for damages.
• Worker's compensation provides those workers injured on the job, or suffering from a disease while in the course of employment, benefits that include payments based on the employee's wages and total or partial disability. Unfortunately, this alone may not be enough compensation.

Around 40% of all construction site fatalities involve electrocution. Other accidents and injuries that can take place at a construction site include:

• Construction Site Falls. One-third of the nearly 1000 construction workers who will be killed on the job this year are caused by falls. The worksite might be unstable. Fall protection equipment might be misused. Many of the deaths and injuries from falls can be prevented when the proper precautions are made.
• Crane Accidents. Many serious and fatal injuries involving cranes occur each year when the crane touches a power line, when workers assemble and dismantle the crane, and various failures of the crane's construction.
• Scaffolding Accidents. Most are attributed to negligent construction and maintenance of the scaffolding. 10,000 of the 500,000 injuries that occur annually on construction sites are associated with work on scaffolds.
• Compressed Gases Hazards. Mechanical as well as chemical dangers accompany the wide use of compressed gases in construction projects. Failure to follow safe handling procedures injures thousands of workers each year.
• Dangerous and Defective Machines. Serious injuries result from moving machine parts when safeguards meant to protect workers are not implemented. Such preventable injuries can occur when using mechanical power presses, nail guns, and other dangerous machines.
• Mechanical Hazards. The point of operation, power transmission apparatus and other moving parts of machines pose hazards on construction sites. These basic components of almost all machines need to be recognized as such, and safety measures must be taken to protect those on the site.
• Logging Accidents. Possibly the most dangerous occupation in the country, logging can cause serious accidents. Massive weights and irresistible momentum of falling, rolling and sliding trees and logs are involved in daily operations, and when these hazards are combined with dangerous environmental conditions such as uneven terrain, wind or extreme cold, logging poses significant risks on employees.
• Welding, Cutting and Brazing Accidents. These hazardous activities pose safety and health risks that require employers to determine all exposures to hazards in the workplace and determine what protective equipment should be used.