Construction Accident Injury Lawyers Serving Alexandria and the Entire State of Louisiana

Injuries and accidents can occur in any line of work. However, the construction industry has a far higher rate of accidents and injuries per worker. The dangerous nature of the work on many construction sites leaves workers vulnerable to serious and life-changing injuries. Safety regulations that prevent catastrophic injuries and deaths must be enforced vigilantly.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that among 4,101 industry workers killed on the job in 2014, one in five of those deaths were linked to the construction industry. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Louisiana construction accident, you are far more likely to recover the compensation you deserve with legal assistance. Speak with a personal injury attorney at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault today so that your case can be reviewed.

The Fatal Four Construction Injury Accidents

The construction industry is so dangerous that the term “Fatal Four” was coined to describe the four leading causes of death for construction workers. These construction injury accidents were responsible for over half of construction worker deaths in 2017.

OSHA states that eliminating construction injury accidents in these categories would save 478 lives every year. These deadly accidents are listed as follows:

10 Common Construction Injury Site Violations

The most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA in 2014 included:

1. Fall protection.
Falls are one of the most common causes of serious construction injuries and fatalities in the building industry. Proper fall protection such as railings, floor hole covers, toe boards, harnesses and safety nets, as required under safety regulations, could prevent many of these deaths and injuries.

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2. Hazard Communication Standard.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals is a serious threat to many construction workers in the U.S. OSHA created a Hazard Communication standard in order to create clear and accurate hazard information on chemicals to improve the safe handling of toxic substances in the workplace.

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3. Scaffolding.
Many a construction injury and fatalities caused by scaffolding accidents could have been prevented had OSHA standards been met. A Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) study found that 72% of workers injured in scaffold accidents either had the planking or support give way, slipped, or were struck by a falling object.

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4. Respiratory Protection.
Respirators protect workers against insufficient oxygen, harmful dusts, smokes, gases and vapors. Without protection, these substances can cause cancer and other serious lung conditions and diseases. OSHA reports that compliance with safety standards could prevent hundreds of deaths and illnesses every year.

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5. Powered Industrial Trucks.
Many citations are handed out for safety violations involving powered industrial trucks. Truck hazards include loads falling onto workers, lift trucks that have been driven off loading docks, or workers being struck by a lift truck.

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6. Control of Hazardous Energy. 
Energy sources can be extremely hazardous to workers if not properly maintained and kept up to safety standards. Steam valves, conveyer systems, faulty wiring and other energy sources can cause serious injuries to workers during servicing and maintenance of machines.

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7. Ladders. 
Ladders pose serious fall hazards when safety regulations are not enforced. A construction injury fall is one of the most common types of work accidents, and many fatal falls involve ladders.

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8. Electrical Components and Equipment.
The electrical components and equipment used must be compliant with OSHA standards or lives are risked unnecessarily. Lack of breaker maintenance, for example, can lead to fires or electric shocks and fatal injuries to workers.

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9. Machine Guarding.
Many citations are handed out to employers following a construction injury due to lax safety standards when it comes to machine guards. Moving machine parts can cause severe workplace injuries, including crushed fingers, amputations, burns and even blindness.

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10. Electrical Systems Design.
It is critically important to handle all electrical wiring in a safe manner, and to ensure that all wiring systems on the construction site are up to OSHA safety standards, in order to prevent fatalities and serious injuries due to electrocutions.

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Disabling Construction Site Injuries

According to the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, the total cost of disabling workplace injuries in 2012 was $59 billion. These injuries occur most frequently in the construction industry and include: overexertion, falls on the same level, struck by an object, falls to a lower level, bodily reactions, roadway incidents, caught in compressed by equipment or objects, repetitive motions, and struck against object or equipment.

Medical expenses pile up quickly after a construction site injury. A recent study by OSHA, found that the average cost of a lost time claim from injured roofers involved in a fall from elevation was over $106,000.

Experienced Construction Injury Lawyers – Neblett, Beard & Arsenault

Although workers’ compensation benefits are a necessity for an injured worker, it does not always cover the full cost of the injury when you add up lost time, loss of future wages, medical expenses, and other costs. Let our construction site accident attorneys review your facts. We may be able to seek compensation from other liable parties such as third party contractors, property owners, and equipment manufacturers.

Dealing with your injuries should be your focus. Let the attorneys at Neblett, Beard & Arsenault handle your legal issues and aggressively pursue fair compensation for you. Contact us today at (318) 561-2500. We can then review the circumstances of your injury and advise you as to how to proceed.

Sources:

• OSHA: common statistics