Five Non-Fatal Injuries Commonly Experienced by Construction Workers

There can be nothing more troublesome for employees than experiencing workplace injuries while hard at work on the job. This is is especially true for construction workers, who day-in and day-out perform physically demanding labor on worksites, as this regularly places their physical health at risk in the honest pursuit of a paycheck. Despite these unfortunate hazards that can - and often do - accompany this line of work, however, some construction employees who do experience workplace-related injuries recover and can return to the job within a reasonable amount of time.

Thankfully, the majority of construction-related injuries are not life-threatening and do not result in a fatality. However, many non-fatal injuries are still harmful enough to slow workers down and prevent them from returning to the workplace. Alternatively, they may be unable to perform their duties at the same rate and at the quality that they were.

According to the United States Department of Labor and the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), fatalities are, sadly, a common reality in the construction business. Four main injury types usually result in death, including falls, electrocutions, object and debris strikes, and stuck “in between” incidents, where a worker is caught between a piece of heavy machinery, for example. Apart from these extreme cases, however, construction workers are often most subjected to the following five non-fatal injuries:

1. Struck-by hazards - Being struck by debris and various objects is one of the most consistent leading causes of death in the industry, but research shows that struck-by hazards are also a leading cause of non-fatal injuries. Being hit by falling objects or colliding with equipment are the incidents most responsible for non-fatal injuries on construction work sites.
2. Falls - Along with struck-by hazards, falls are another category of injury that does not always result in death. Many times, tripping or falling are non-fatal incidents for construction workers but result in significant long-term disabilities or shorter-term injuries that prevent them from being able to continue their work.
3. Overexertion - Strains and sprains are incredibly common on job sites, as the opportunities to overexert oneself are plentiful in this line of work. Lifting, twisting, and turning while working with heavy machinery and equipment easily place employees at risk on the job.
4. Exposure - According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, exposure injuries include those due to electric currents, extreme fluctuations in temperature, changes in air pressure, and allergenic substances.
5. Vehicle strikes - Being hit by a vehicle is another extremely common construction-related injury, although it does not necessarily always take place directly on the job site. For example, statistics show that employees often get hit due to the capsizing of moving cranes, which does not always happen right on site.

Other causes of non-fatal injuries in the construction industry include fires and explosions, as well as on-site assaults. No matter what kind of circumstance led to your workplace injury, if you have been hurt while working on a construction site, it is imperative that you speak with a knowledgeable Monterey County personal injury attorney the moment you experience a hazardous situation. Call Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P. today at (408) 289-1417 and ask for a personal consultation.

• Federal OSHA coverage
• Leading Causes of Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries in Construction
• Struck-by Injuries and Prevention in the Construction Industry
• Workers’ Compensation in California