Construction injuries can vary from minor to tragic, and regularly result in death. The sorts of injuries you can preserve from these accidents include: amputations; blindness; deafness; damaged bones, back; burns; concussion; coma; severed spinal cord; paralysis; Traumatic Brain Injury; and many more. These injuries are the end result of the negligence of others, defective production gadget; faulty products; faulty machines; inadequate protection or equipment training, or due to negligent or reckless co-workers.
Accidents at workplaces can be painful and traumatic. Each day, on average, two construction workers die of injuries at work worldwide, and most of the fatalities are due to construction accidents and construction related. Fatal injuries have become widespread in the construction works; with lack of safety measures it has become a critical issue worldwide.
Despite the efforts to avoid such incidents, there has been very little fall off. According to CPWR (2019), The number of construction accidents happening and the number of construction workers killed in the last nine years are at the highest level, compared to other years. Using the data provided by Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, researchers have identified fatalities of 1,102 construction workers in 2019 only which is a 5% increase over the 1,008 deaths in 2018.
It’s the highest since the 1,204 record fatal work injuries in 2007. There are approximately 150,000 construction site accidents reported each year, and workers in the construction industry suffered more than 200,000 nonfatal injuries and over 1000 fatal injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Causes of Construction Accidents:
Construction accidents are most often the result of negligence, and there are many ways due to which these accidents occur on construction sites despite being avoidable. According to the statistics of BLS, these are the most common causes of non-fatal workplace injuries:
- Overexertion and bodily reaction Slips, falls, and trips.
- Contact with equipment or objects.
- Transportation accidents.
- Violence and other injuries that are caused by animals or persons.
According to OSHA. There is a “Fatal Four”: The four fatal causes for construction accidents:
- Falls.
- Electrocutions.
- Struck by an object.
- Caught in/between.
Laws about Construction Accidents and their awareness:
Construction accidents many of the times are found to be fatal or provide extensive injuries. There are laws about the construction site which deal with the injuries and death cases happening to the construction site workers. There are also legal guidelines for safety, regulations and its standards for the construction industry.
One of the most common laws regarding the safety hazard of construction accidents and construction site workers is ‘Workers compensation Law’ which is a system of rules/laws in every state made to pay the expenses of workers who are harmed while performing job-related duties. Relating to this many companies and firms enlighten the workers about the worker’s compensation law in their respective country. Which makes it easier for the people who suffer to compensate somehow.
One of the prime examples of such a firm can be of ‘Bellotti Law Group’ which is a leading personal injury firm based in the Boston area and covering the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Many other firms also provide such services which help people in gaining their rightful compensation from their employer.
How Construction Accidents can be avoided:
No one would like to be in a situation where it is a matter of life and death. Construction site accidents have become a huge issue throughout the world and it is supposedly seeming to be growing every day. There are some safety measures that can be taken to avoid such accidents, which are:
- Always wearing Safety Gear.
- Respecting Safety Protocols.
- Taking Regular Breaks.
- Maintaining Equipment
- Inspecting worksites.
- Scheduling Regular Safety Meetings.
- Providing Safety Training.
By following these protocols there is a chance of avoiding many construction accidents.
