5 Most Common Injuries in Construction

When a construction worker gets injured on the job, many of those injuries can be quite severe. Unfortunately, there is no way to get around working in such a dangerous field because there would be no homes, commercial structures, roads or even airports if it weren’t for this one, very vital, industry. Infrastructure would be at a literal standstill. While all those heavy machines can be the underlying cause of some of the most common construction injuries, there is no getting around those either. So, what are the most common injuries in construction and what can you do if they result in a something significant enough to put you out of work for extended periods of time, if not forever? Let’s look at the five most common of them.

1. Accidents with Machinery

There are several ways in which accidents with machinery can cause serious injury to employees. Sometimes it would be while driving a loader and other times it is getting caught in the machinery’s mechanisms. These can be quite serious and if you wonder why, you might want to think about what it would be like to wrestle with something 10 or more times your weight.

According to information on https://www.rblaw.net/practices-construction-injuries, many are severe enough to render you virtually disabled going forward. This is why so many injured construction workers file claims against their employers and the employer’s insurance. If they will be unable to work in the future, they will need to be compensated so that they aren’t left penniless on the streets.

2. Falls

You probably wouldn’t want to think about falling off the scaffolding on the 20^th floor of a high rise you are working on which is why safety harnesses are so important, but even falling from the second floor can result in life threatening injuries. No matter from what distance you fall, injuries are likely to happen.

3. Vehicular Accidents

Whether driven on the road or on a construction site, vehicular accidents are some of the most common do result in injuries. In some areas of the country, roadwork uses pilot cars to lead traffic through areas where only one lane is opened at a time. Impatient drivers are known to skip the line leading to a head on collision with that pilot car, and these injuries can be life-threatening as well.

4. Building or Ground Collapsing

The kind of injuries sustained from a building or ground collapse often make the news. Although they are not as frequent as some of the other kinds of accidents listed here, they usually involve several people which is why they are so newsworthy. Also, they can lead to serious injuries rendering those employees incapacitated for working construction in the future – if they even live, that is!

5. Electrocution

If you have ever wondered why DIY projects necessitate a licensed electrician, this is your answer. Even experienced, licensed electricians can be electrocuted as can any of their peers standing close to them. Bear in mind that many buildings are raised on metal rafters which means that they are super conductors of electricity. Some workers even on another part of the room or floor can be electrocuted without even knowing they were exposed to current.

Although this may offer little consolation, sometimes lawsuits filed for injured construction workers can give them enough capital to invest, hoping to make a profit if they are unable to work in the future. Always get the best representation you possibly can when suing your employer’s insurance. It is in place for just these reasons, so don’t think that you can’t file a claim for just compensation. If you can’t, your attorney surely can!