Safety comes first on all job sites from the smallest residential job to the largest commercial project. Only then can dangerous and costly construction site accidents be avoided.
It’s no secret that construction work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Every year thousands of workers suffer minor to serious personal injuries, some of which can be fatal. This is why it’s of paramount importance that construction managers and supervisors educate their workers to the dangers they will face on a daily basis from accidental falls to being run down by heavy construction equipment.
Says the professionals at Coffey McPharlin, personal injury trial lawyers Fort Lauderdale, FL, lots of hardworking people are injured in construction-related accidents every day. Over 1,000 workers die annually on U.S. job sites alone, primarily due to construction accidents.
That said, what are some of the most dangerous construction site accidents that can result in personal injury? According to a recent report by Construction Week, the United Nations’ International Labor Organization or the ILO, recently determined that close to 3 million worker fatalities are reported on a global scale every year. Around 6,500 fatalities are reported due to work-related diseases, and another 1,000-plus from occupational accidents. Construction workers are particularly prone when it comes to suffering personal injury from preventable accidents.
Even in the digital age where greater focus and attention is being placed on accident prevention on the construction job site, injuries remain unavoidable. This is due to simple human error and to equipment failure which remain vulnerable regardless of efforts to place worker safety at the top of the priority list.
What are the greatest causes of mortality on the global labor market according to the ILO? Circulatory disease which ranks 31 percent; work-related cancers which rank 26 percent; and respiratory diseases which rank 17 percent.
With that in mind, here are 5 of the most common and dangerous construction site accidents that result in personal injury.
Falls
Falls and sometimes trip and falls, are said to be among the most common causes of serious injury and deaths on construction job sites. They include unfortunate incidents such as falling off scaffolding, ladders, failed harnesses, and ropes.
Falls are usually caused by poorly assembled protection covers, loose guard rail systems, and not utilizing safety harnesses the way they were intended when working on scaffolding. It’s up to supervisors and project managers to make sure the mistakes are avoided to ensure that falls are kept to a bare minimum.
Electrocution
Workers can get electrocuted when they come into direct contact with overhead power lines and wiring without wearing the necessary safety gear. Working near equipment, machines, and tools which are directly connected to live power lines can also result in severe injury or fatality because of absent circuit interrupters.
Job site supers must make certain construction workers are not approaching these electrically powered machines until they are sporting the appropriate safety gear. It’s important to bear in mind that faulty wiring can lead directly to worker death.
Crushing Injuries
Crushing injuries occur on job sites due to incidents of debris, large slabs of concrete structure, or equipment falling on workers. All around the world construction jobsites have witnessed situations of building materials like sand, cement, and steel dropping on workers because of poor installation procedures.
Installation of the highest quality is required as a first step in the avoidance of such potentially fatal accidents. Workers must always wear safety helmets to ensure they are protected in the event that heavy material falls from a building which can directly strike the skull.
Caught-Between Incidents
It’s not uncommon for construction sites to see incidents of limbs or entire bodies caught between pieces of heavy equipment. These incidents are referred to in the industry as “caught-between” injuries. They can range from minor issues to violent fatalities.
Some of these issues occur when a finger gets smashed by a hammer. This constitutes a minor caught-between incident. More serious problems occur when a worker gets caught between a loader or a bulldozer and a hard surface like a concrete retaining wall, for instance.
Heavy on-site equipment must be outfitted with the latest in telematics software and reversing alarms which can warn workers who might otherwise get in the way.
Crane Collapses
Says Construction Week, one of the most common and deadly construction site accidents that results in personal injury are crane collapses. These occur when the heavy equipment has not been properly fitted or installed. The collapses, while violent in nature, can cause severe injury to material and human assets in and around the construction job site, especially if it is located in a heavily populated urban environment.
Bad crane installations can be avoided by ensuring that reputable crane companies are hired not only to put the crane in place, but to utilize the correct software plus motion detection and anti-collision devices to avoid tragic accidents.
Construction can be a rewarding and lucrative career. But safety comes first on all job sites from the smallest residential job to the largest commercial project. Only then can dangerous and costly construction site accidents be avoided.
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