What Are the Leading Causes of Construction Site Accidents?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Texas leads the nation in violations of construction safety regulations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspects construction job sites thoroughly to ensure that safety standards are met. When an employer has committed numerous safety violations, the administration enrolls them in a severe violator program and then investigates them more often. Texas has more severe violators than any other state.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that there are around a dozen work-related fatalities every day in the United States. Construction fatalities are most often caused by the so-called “fatal four.”

These four types of accidents claim hundreds of lives every year:

• Falls — Nearly 37 percent of workplace deaths on construction sites occur from falls. Employees can fall off ladders, roofs, scaffoldings, through holes or on surfaces. Some deaths can be attributed to improper fall protection.
• Struck-by Accidents — Around 10 percent of deaths are from being struck by an object. The object may have fallen on, swung into, or struck the victim (including vehicle accidents) and caused the fatal injuries.
• Electrocutions — Electrical incidents account for almost nine percent of fatalities. On construction sites this could be from contact with overhead powerlines, equipment malfunction or misuse, wet conditions, improper installation or even lightning strikes.
• Caught in or between Objects — Another 2.5 percent of work site deaths are caused by being caught in or between machinery, equipment and materials. Structures, natural or man-made, can collapse and rotating or moving equipment can catch a nearby person, resulting in death.

Construction is a particularly dangerous industry. Safety violations, improper training, and the tools and heavy machinery used can all cause severe injury and death. Even despite the best efforts of OSHA, safety violations and resulting injuries and deaths of workers in construction are still a major issue.

Contact a Houston construction injury attorney

If you or a loved one were injured or killed by a construction site accident, consult an attorney who specializes in workplace injury cases. The team at The de la Garza Law Group takes workplace injury cases seriously and can help you hold a negligent employer responsible. For more information on what an attorney from The de la Garza Law Group can do for you and your loved ones, contact us today at 713-784-1010 or toll free at 844-784-1010.