In the United States, the construction industry is considered a high-risk industry with thousands of workers being killed or injured each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2004, construction had the second highest number of workplace fatalities in the country, and accounted for an above-average number of days lost to illness or injury.
Construction site accidents kill and injure thousands of workers each year. One out of every 10 construction workers suffers some kind of work injury, despite legal and trade provisions in place to prevent such construction accidents.
Some of the types of construction site and industrial workplace accidents victims suffer:
- Falls
- Scaffolding, crane, derrick, conveyor, ladder, winch, grater, scraper, backhoe, and boiler accidents
- Electric shock
- Trench collapse
- Fire and explosion
- Highway vehicle accidents
- Compressed gases accidents
- Welding accidents
- And many others
In many of these situations, owners, their agents and contractors face liability for failing to supply and operate safety equipment to prevent worker injuries.
In industrial workplaces, safety standards and regulations exist to protect workers from the hazards or working around toxic chemicals, heavy equipment, power tools, and other types of dangerous materials. For that reason, industrial accidents often have a clearly identifiable cause. An early, thorough investigation is the key to obtaining fair compensation for injured welders, forklift operators, woodworkers, and other industrial workers.
Workers’ compensation laws prohibit employers from covering up workplace hazards or retaliating against an employee who reports such a hazard. While the law does not allow workers to sue their employers while they collect workers' compensation benefits, injured construction site or industrial workplace employees are more likely to have a case because their type of work typically involves multiple contractors.
Injured workers may be able to sue the owner, its agents and contractors, for all damages sustained by virtue of any physical harm which has occurred to them. Such suits are permitted on behalf of injured workers in addition to workers’ compensation benefits they may have received. Unlike workers’ compensation however, where an owner, agent or contractor is negligent or liable by statute, recovery can also be made for past and future lost earnings, pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, loss of benefits, and many other types of damages.
Workers’ compensation is not always adequate. Although most injured workers will be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, these benefits will not cover all of the expenses faced by an injured worker and generally do not cover pain and suffering and the full range of damages available to the loved ones of a worker who is killed in an accident.
When negligent construction or industrial site management personnel put workers in the way of unnecessary risks and harm, and injury or death occurs, it is important to consult with an experienced construction site accident attorney as soon as possible.
If you have suffered a personal injury due to a construction site accident or an industrial workplace accident, you may be eligible for compensation.
The entire staff of Belt Law Firm is dedicated to the needs of our clients and to achieving the best possible result for each individual client. Contact our law firm to work with an experienced and dedicated Alabama personal injury attorney who cares about your case.
For your free auto accident consultation with an Alabama Construction Accident Attorney fill out our contact form or call us at 888-933-1514 (toll free).
