Common Injuries in Construction Site Accidents

Author: Daniel Mabee

Working on a construction site can be dangerous. Furthermore, the variety of projects being carried out means that there are many different scenarios in which personal injury, property damage, or other negative consequences could arise. More specifically, here are some of the main dangers that are faced on construction sites:

Workplace Hazards

As you might imagine, virtually every kind of tool and piece of equipment manufactured on earth is being put to use at any given time somewhere. This means that the city sees an extremely wide range of equipment-related accidents, typically resulting from poorly maintained or misused equipment or hazardous work practices. It is common for workers to sustain injuries due to improper equipment operation or by colliding or stumbling over each other. While there’s often no way to prevent such mishaps other than exercising maximum caution, if you’ve already been injured, it’s important to reach out to a personal injury lawyer that specializes in construction site accidents in your local area.

Falling from Heights

In cities with higher level of construction activities, falling from heights accounts for over 50% of all construction site deaths. Fortunately, the number of people who actually fall to their deaths is very low compared to the overall number of construction workers who work in the city, with construction-related fatalities happening only about 20 times per year. Still, this is always a concerning danger that construction workers have to keep in mind because much of the construction and property maintenance that happens in the city occurs high off the ground.

Electric Shock

Due to the city’s extensive network of power lines and electrical equipment, construction workers are often faced with electrical hazards while maintaining these systems or working near them. Electric shock also sometimes occurs when workers misuse electrical equipment or power tools. Thus, it’s important for every worker to have a thorough understanding of how to stay grounded and how to work around electrical components such as wires and transformers.

Collisions

Of course, since there are so many construction vehicles on site, there are inevitably vehicle collisions related to construction work as well. The intense traffic means that workers need to be careful to watch for careless motorists and operate tractors and utility vehicles with the utmost caution to prevent property damage.

Lifting and Back Injuries

Most of the workplace in Australia often conduct training on lifting technics. However, back injury from lifting heavy objects remains a main source of workplace injury. Back injury can result from lifting, falling, or heavy object hit on workers’ back. Unlike other type of injuries, back injury can be acute, or come on as a part of gradual symptom. For many workers, it can be hard to say if a back injury is work related or not. The best way to determine if you are qualified for compensation, is to consult a specialist compensation lawyer for back injury.

Conclusion

Construction industry is one of the industry with highest injury rate compare to other industries. This article outlines only the common type of physical injuries. If you are injured on a construction site, the best way to proceed with the claim is to consult a specialist personal injury lawyer in your local area.