Construction Site Injuries:

Dangerous conditions on a construction site can cause serious injury or even death. Some common examples include unsafe structures, careless maintenance, negligent equipment operation, failure to provide safeguards such as fall protection, and more. In some construction site injury cases, two or more factors combine to cause an accident, meaning there may be more than one responsible party. Under certain circumstances, an injured worker may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a negligence or product liability claim against a third party.

Defective Tools and Equipment:

One of the most significant construction site risks is the presence of a variety of heavy equipment and potentially dangerous machinery and tools. Negligent operation of such equipment can cause serious injury or death, but construction equipment may be dangerous even when operated according to instructions. Typically, the manufacturer and/or seller of defective construction equipment, defective machinery, or dangerous tools will be legally responsible for injuries caused by design flaws, faulty materials, or failure to provide adequate warnings or instructions.

Falls from Heights:

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of construction site fatalities, accounting for well over 1/3 of construction worker deaths. Falls occur for many reasons, including defective or poorly maintained roof structures, failure to use appropriate fall protection gear, failure to properly manage hazards such as skylights and open sections in roofing or upper-level flooring, and unsafe ladders and scaffolding. Although hundreds of construction workers are killed in falls each year and thousands of others are injured, many employers continue to neglect fall protection. Fall-related safety violations are among the most commonly cited violations.

Toxic Exposure:

Construction workers may suffer short-term or long-term effects from hazardous chemicals and other dangerous substances at construction sites or used in the construction process. While a wide variety of substances may cause damage or occupational disease, some of the most common include lead and asbestos. Asbestos was long used in a wide range of construction materials, and working on a building containing these materials without extensive safety measures can expose workers to asbestos dust. Asbestos exposure can lead to a form of cancer called mesothelioma, which may develop decades after the exposure.

Construction Vehicle Injury:

A construction vehicle injury may be much like any other motor vehicle accident, or may be very different. Construction vehicles range from trucks used to transport materials to forklifts, bulldozers, cranes, and other equipment. While some construction vehicle accidents fall entirely within workers’ compensation coverage, many give rise to third-party claims as well. For example, an accident caused by the negligence of an outsider like a delivery person or employee of another contractor may give rise to a personal injury claim. Similarly, an accident caused by a defect in the vehicle may result in a product liability case against the manufacturer or distributor. An experienced construction accident attorney can be the best source of information about the parties who may bear responsibility for a construction vehicle accident.

Trench Collapse:

Trench cave-ins and collapses can be fatal. This type of accident is almost entirely preventable with appropriate structures and regular inspection. Yet, dozens of U.S. workers such as construction laborers, plumbers, and pipe fitters are killed in trench-related accidents each year.

Construction site injuries:

Dangerous conditions on construction sites can result in career-ending injuries.

Defective construction equipment:

Heavy equipment such as dump trucks and cranes often operate in close proximity to workers.

Defective machinery:

Machines that lack safeguards can injure or kill construction workers.

Unsafe ladders and scaffolding:

Unsafe ladders and scaffolding are a leading cause of falls.