Construction Site Accidents

Construction sites can be very dangerous if the proper safety rules are not followed by the owners, developers, managers, or contractors at the site. One out of every 28 construction workers are injured on the job. Because of the potentially dangerous environment of a construction site, these accidents routinely result in catastrophic injury or death. In 2018, one out of every 5 worker deaths were in construction.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the agency responsible for assuring the health and safety of over 130 million workers at more than 8 million worksites around the country. More than 5,000 construction workers lost their lives in 2018 while working at construction sites – on average, this was more than 100 deaths a week or more than 14 deaths every day. Over half of construction site deaths were caused by the following:

  • Falls
  • Struck by objects
  • Electrocutions
  • Caught in-between (compressed by equipment or objects or struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material)

A very high level of control is needed to supervise and assess the constant motion and ever-evolving situations on a construction job. Another concern on construction sites is changing deadlines that may shift priorities. The 10 most frequent construction and general industry violations cited by OSHA in 2019 were as follows:

  1. Fall protection (construction)
  2. Hazard communication standard
  3. Scaffolding requirements
  4. Hazardous energy control
  5. Respiratory protection
  6. Ladders
  7. Powered industrial trucks
  8. Fall protection (training requirements)
  9. Machine and machine guarding
  10. Eye and face protection

Failure by construction companies and site managers to provide adequate supervision and oversight to assure these safety standards often makes the difference between good health and serious injury or death.

How Does Florida Law Protect You Against a Construction Site Accident?

Construction site accidents fall under the categories of wrongful death, product liability, premise liability, negligence, and personal injury. These accidents can take place at a residence, commercial location, or industrial site. Injured parties can include workers, passersby, and homeowners, adding to the multitude of complexities in these types of accidents, along with the variation in applicable laws.

Common ways to become injured at a construction site include slips and falls, roof collapses, misuse of tools, falling objects, crane accidents, injuries sustained while trenching, overhead injuries, heavy equipment failure, electrical accidents, misuse of safety implements, scaffolding accidents, welding accidents, explosions and fires, exposure to toxic or dangerous substances, and power tool mishaps.

On a job site, particularly those at great heights, every piece of equipment can turn deadly. From hammers and drills to cranes, each can play a role in causing serious injuries to people on or near the site, including bruises, lacerations, torn ligaments, crushing injuries, falling injuries, broken bones, head injuries, eye injuries, spinal cord injuries and death.

Why Hire Miami – Fort Lauderdale, Broward County Workplace Accident Attorney Crenshaw Law Firm?

Florida has always been a hotbed for commercial and residential construction. It should come as no surprise then that Florida is also a hotbed for construction site injuries. Multiple legal claims for damages may be pursued for injuries sustained on a worksite, including split liability claims, worker’s compensation claims, and personal injury and wrongful death claims. Call Crenshaw Law Firm to assist you with your case and identify potential defendants, causes of action, and theories of liability and get you a maximum recovery, even if you were an innocent bystander.

Let’s talk about what you are going through.

Crenshaw Law Firm is a trusted source of construction site accident expertise. Our team can take on the challenge of proving negligence through knowing the ins and outs of the strict requirements for construction site injuries and what the law will allow to maximize your damages and give you the peace of mind to heal.

popdevteamConstruction Site Accidents