Construction work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. Not only do construction workers have a very physically demanding job, but they also work around heavy machinery, large objects, and at great heights very often. Even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, commonly known as OSHA, has regulations in place to ensure safety for construction workers on the job, sometimes these rules are broken, people are distracted, and accidents happen that cause injury to workers. A St. Louis construction accident lawyer from Thomas Law Offices can help you get justice for your work injuries caused by someone else’s negligence.
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Most Common Construction Accidents
Even though extensive measures are in place to prevent accidents on construction sites, unfortunately, they still happen. OSHA’s safety regulations offer safety solutions for every potential hazard on a work site. Some of those hazards are:
- Scaffolding
- Elevated surfaces
- Ladders
- Stairways
- Trenching
- Cranes
- Forklifts
- Electrical Wiring
- Debris
All of these hazards can lead to accidents if safety precautions aren’t followed. Some of those accidents could even turn fatal. According to OSHA, the most common construction accidents that lead to death are falls, struck-by accidents, caught in-between accidents, and electrocution. These are commonly referred to as the fatal four. Of those four, falls account for a third of all deaths on construction sites.
Construction workers might also be exposed to harmful chemicals or substances while on a job site. An example of this is asbestos, which used to be used as insulation and in other products. Exposure to asbestos can cause people to develop mesothelioma, which is a rare but serious form of cancer.
To avoid construction accidents, it’s important to follow OSHA’s safety regulations. Wearing personal protection equipment, or PPE, is your first step at preventing a construction accident. Safety glasses, face shields, hard hats, work boots, gloves, and bright clothing that covers the skin are all essentials on a construction site. When using scaffolding, ladders, forklifts, or any other machinery, it’s important to remain vigilant, on solid even ground, and act with caution.
On construction sites, safety managers along with everyone else needs to work hard to maintain a safe job site to ensure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day. However, accidents can still happen when just one person acts negligently and doesn’t follow regulations and prioritize safety. When that happens and their negligence causes your injury, a St. Louis construction accident lawyer is here to help you get the justice you deserve.
Construction Accident Injuries You Could Suffer From
Working on a job site with heavy machinery and large objects can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly. The problem with construction accident injuries is that they can be serious and debilitating to workers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 200,000 construction workers are injured on the job each year. Most of those cases of injury require days away from work to heal.
If the injury is serious enough, the worker may never return to their job. Here are some of the common injuries that can result from an accident on a construction site:
- Bruises
- Cuts
- Broken Bones
- Head injury
- Neck or back injury
- Organ injury
- Crushing injury
- Burns
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Loss of limb
If these injuries aren’t treated right away or taken seriously, they could easily lead to more injuries or even death in some cases. Construction sites are dangerous. At Thomas Law Offices, we know that you could be struggling between paying for your injuries and providing for your family since you could be missing work while healing. Our St. Louis construction accident lawyer is here to help you through this tough time and get you full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Determining Liability for Your Construction Accident Injury
One of the main aspects our construction accident attorney will focus on in your case is liability. When we take your case, we will conduct a full investigation into how the accident happened, any contributing factors, and every aspect of the injuries that you suffered as a result. While one worker’s negligence on the site could be the reason for your injuries, there are many other parties who could be responsible. In construction accident claims, here are some of the parties who could end up being liable for a worker’s injuries:
- Construction companies
- Contractors
- Engineers
- Architects
- Property owners
- Insurance companies
Filing a report with OSHA about your accident could help prove liability for your injury. If you believe that your injury was the result of an OSHA violation, you should file a report with OSHA so that they can have a record of your complaint and send inspectors to evaluate your work site. Their inspection report could confirm your complaint and make your construction accident claim stronger.
It’s important to look at the whole picture when filing a construction accident claim because holding the proper party responsible for the accident helps prevent the accident from happening to someone else. A St. Louis construction accident lawyer will look into the construction company’s policies and safety measures to see how what happened to you could have been prevented, and who is liable for the breach in safety. Any witnesses from the scene who would be willing to provide a statement could help prove who was at fault and make your case stronger.
Thomas Law Offices Will Represent You
Every worker should be able to return home safely after a long day of hard work. When you get injured on the job from someone else’s negligence, that feeling of safety is compromised. Safety on a construction site is everyone’s responsibility, and if just one person doesn’t prioritize safety, then they could cause a serious injury to another worker.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers at Thomas Law Offices know that recovering from an injury is hard enough and adding a legal claim on top of healing can feel like a lot. A St. Louis construction accident lawyer from our firm will handle the legal side of things for you so that you and your family can focus on what really matters—healing. Contact us today so that we can discuss your potential case.