Common Work Injuries on Construction Sites
Depending upon the construction site, conditions can vary from job to job. But each and every construction site can be dangerous in multiple ways. Many workers will experience a work injury from these common accidents, while others will experience work injuries from more exotic methods:
- falls from great heights
- slips and falls
- scaffolding accidents, collapses
- trench accidents, collapses
- electric shock
- falls down the stairs
- heart attacks, strokes due to overexertion
- crane accidents
- chemical burns
- forklift accidents
- blows to the head
- back and neck injuries
Serious and even fatal work injuries can result from any of these accidents. It is up to the employer to provide as safe a work environment as they possibly can and to provide safety training, material data sheets on hazardous materials, and to provide workers with adequate safety equipment. Even when all of these requirements are met, often, workers are injured on the job because accidents happen. And when you're working with heavy machinery, those accidents can be severe.
Steps to Preventing Work Injuries on a Construction Site
Work injuries on construction sites are often preventable. Often, these accidents are the result of either a lack of preparation, ignorance of safety procedures, or employees just not paying attention on the job. To avoid these potentially serious work injuries, workers should take a moment to consider the following in order to protect themselves from injury:
- review safety programs prior to beginning at a job site
- inspect their safety equipment to ensure that it's adequate
- know where the material data sheets are kept
- pay close attention to what you're doing, don't allow yourself to become unnecessarily distracted
- take a moment to familiarize yourself with your surroundings
- obtain help if you can't see over a load you're carrying
- obtain help moving items
- go slowly on heavy machinery
- don't overload machinery
- ground yourself prior to working with electricity
Safety is a huge concern on construction sites as they are often responsible for a variety of potentially severe and painful work injuries. If you have been injured due to the negligence or carelessness of another, you could be entitled to compensation. You should seek immediate medical attention and contact a skilled work injury attorney to obtain the best possible results for you.
