Several industries made the U.S. Bureau of Labor’s list of top 10 dangerous jobs in America. Based on the results of the 2018 statistics, the highest number of fatal accidents occurred in the logging industry, followed by fishing.
With the majority of deaths involving independent workers and front-line supervisors, the construction and extraction trades took the number nine spot for fatalities. The overall number of non-fatal but serious construction-related workplace injuries, however, was one of the highest among all industries.
Causes of construction workplace injuries
With more than 5,300 nonfatal serious workplace injuries recorded in 2018, the most common causes of construction industry accidents are slips, trips and falls, as reported by CNBC. Obstructions, broken infrastructure and improper safety training may increase risks of serious injuries. Accordingly, an employer must provide clearly visible warnings signs such as orange cones or yellow “caution” tape to alert employees to dangerous areas.
According to BLS, more than 22,000 injuries of varying degrees of severity occurred due to a slip, trip or fall. Employees reported thousands of incidents involving falls from working at a high level because of an existing open surface or a collapsing scaffold.
Collapsing scaffolds and faulty equipment may result in serious simultaneous accidents involving several construction workers. An inexperienced manager providing inadequate guidance or instructions to employees while on a construction site can set off a domino effect.
As also noted on the U.S. BLS website, hundreds of collisions between two heavy construction vehicles or a lone vehicle, such as a bulldozer, striking a pedestrian employee occurred in 2018. The impact of even a slow-moving construction vehicle can result in serious injuries.
Claims for recovery
Faulty or improperly used equipment along with inexperienced employees can often lead to construction site injuries. Under certain circumstances, New York construction workers hurt while on the job can file a premises liability or third-party negligence claim.
Regardless of the cause, private-industry workers injured while on-the-job may file a workers’ compensation claim. Even when an employee suffers an injury as a result of his or her own negligence, it can qualify for workers’ comp benefits.