Last week’s post discussed a tragic incident in which a wall collapsed, killing one Arizona worker and seriously injuring another. These sorts of incidents are unfortunately common at construction sites, and employers need to take extra precautions to prevent them.
Other common types of construction accidents involve falls. Construction workers often carry their equipment and supplies up to very high places to work on tall objects like bridges or new buildings. Other work zones have workers in a hole or a trench. In these types of cases, Phoenix workers can easily slip and fall great distances. Moreover, a heavy object can also drop on to workers doing labor below.
Repetitive injuries are another type of “accident” that some might overlook since they do not happen at one time and place. Instead, a repetitive motion injury slowly wears down a person’s body to the point where they are significantly injured and unable to work.
While these sorts of injuries may be preventable just by taking frequent breaks and using equipment correctly, sometimes employers’ policies, a lack of training or just time pressure means that workers are unable to recognize this type of hazard and take steps to prevent it.
Construction workers face a dangerous environment wherever they go. Heights, unstable structures, heavy equipment, chemicals and even just repetitive motion are all dangers commonly found at a construction site. While the best way to keep people happy and healthy is to prevent accidents, when an occasional unexpected accident does occur, workers’ compensation is available for Arizona workers.
