When you wake up in the morning and head off to work, the last thing you expect to happen is for something to go wrong at the worksite and you sustain a serious injury. Unfortunately, for some occupations, this is a serious risk.
Construction sites are littered with significant dangers and employers and/or general contractors should ensure that all employees have the right safety equipment to work on the grounds. When safety equipment is not provided—or workers are not informed of what equipment is needed—the already existing risk of danger is increased.
If you’re a construction worker, or you know someone who is, it is imperative to understand what dangers exist on the worksite and why it’s so important to have safety equipment. Here is what you need to know about construction site dangers.
Scaffolding and the Need for Restraints
The very nature of construction sites requires individuals to work on top of tall structures and scaffoldings. These are supposed to support workers, but extra precautions must also be taken to ensure that falls are prevented.
For instance, if the worker is on top of a scaffolding, the scaffolding itself should have hand rails and toe boards to help prevent the worker from falling. The worker should also be harnessed to the railing just in case something goes wrong.
Similarly, when workers are on beams on top of structures, they must be properly harnessed.
Falling Objects and the Need for Hard Hats
What happens when tools are being used at high points, but they’re not properly secured? Any little mistake can send the tool falling to the ground, putting any workers on the floors below at significant risk of being struck by one of these items.
As such, workers should constantly wear hard hats when on the work site to prevent serious head trauma from falling items. The tools must also be properly secured and failure to do so can be considered negligence if a worker gets hurt.
Large Machinery and the Need for Close Attention
In many construction sites, there are several pieces of equipment, many of them being large in size and requiring significant amounts of attention. Vehicles, tools, and other machines can cause significant harm if they are not properly attended to by workers on the site.
Even tools that are larger in size such as metal shapers can be harmful when something causes the worker to become distracted. In any case, preventing these types of accidents requires extensive attention and people on the site following instructions regarding how to use these machines.
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Slips or trips and falls can be some of the most dangerous incidents on construction sites because of the tools around, the heights at which people work, and the potential for ditches on the construction site. Slip and falls are one of the top causes of brain and spinal cord injuries.
This can occur when certain items or wires are left on the floor, or when tools are obstructing paths one scaffolding or structures.
When construction site accidents occur, there are numerous potential causes, including negligence. Even worse is when the workers are not given proper safety equipment to protect themselves from serious harm.
At Morici, Longo & Associates, we step up when negligence results in construction accidents and help those who have been harmed understand what rights they have to pursue compensation for injuries they may have sustained.
Our Chicago construction accident lawyers are ready to be your voice, guiding you through the process and helping you from start to finish. You deserve to have your rights protected and we’re the team to do it.
Call our firm at (312) 779-0366 to discuss your rights if you’ve been injured on a construction site.
