One in five worker deaths last year were in construction as reported by OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration). The leading causes of private sector worker deaths (excluding highway collisions) in the construction industry were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught-in/between, where the construction worker was killed when caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material and killed. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for more than half (64.2%) of the construction worker deaths in 2015.
Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in 2016
- Fall protection, construction
- Hazard communication standard, general industry
- Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
- Respiratory protection, general industry
- Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- Powered industrial trucks, general industry
- Ladders, construction
- Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements
- Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry
- Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry
When a construction worker suffers a serious injury as a result of unsafe conditions and poor safety practices at a work site, it is generally because of a company’s decision to put profits over people and speed over safety. Often it is caused by a problem that was known, but ignored until it was too late and someone was permanently hurt if not killed. Attorney Misty Borland Phiffer and her team at Borland Phiffer Law have the knowledge and experience to help individuals who have been hurt while working at a construction site.
When construction site injuries occur, the cause is often a failure to comply with regulations, inspection requirements, and job-safety programs. Attorney Misty Borland Phiffer and her team at Borland Phiffer Law will work hard with investigators and experts to find out what happened and who is ultimately responsible. This investigation is two fold – we want to know the facts that caused the injury but we also want to know how it could have been prevented and when. Our goal in the end is to protect our clients and their families by making sure their needs are met now and in the future. We also want to make sure that the negligent company will make a different, safer, choice the next time.
Protect Yourself
Please call if you or a loved one need help due to a construction site injury. We are available to help you 24/7 with a free case consultation. We can explain your options and see if this is a case that we feel warrants taking and provide you with specific guidance whether we take the case or not on how to protect yourself moving forward.