The construction site is obviously one of the most accident-prone places. The presence of machines, equipment and materials, and the activity of men make it an inherently risky place. In some cases, accidents also occur when harmful chemicals or substances come in contact with equipment that can lead to fires or explosions.
According to Department and Labor statistics, construction accidents occur more frequently than many believed. Some of the most common injuries include sprains, bruises, cuts strains, contusions, lacerations, heat burns, amputations, carpal tunnel syndrome, fractures, and tendonitis.
While most of these injuries are not fatal, they can lead to long-term unemployment or a disability condition such as spinal cord injury, severe burn, and in worst cases, death. With these, the victims are entitled to file their legal actions with the help of their construction liability attorneys.
The real estate boom, which gave rise to the construction of residential homes, commercial buildings, and roads, has also contributed to the incidental increase in the number of accidents and resulting injuries in the past years.
Particularly in Los Angeles and other areas in California, the following construction accidents commonly occur:
• Falls from ladders, roofs and scaffolding
• Injuries caused by falling debris or materials
• Scaffolding collapse accidents
• Falling material or debris
• Accidents caused by contact with electrical wires
• Open trenches
• Nail gun accidents and puncture injuries
• Forklift and crane accidents
• Delivery truck accidents
• Injuries to pedestrians
Some accidents may be preventable. In construction sites, the wearing of hard hats and other protective clothing are required as part of safety measures. And despite strict safety laws, thousands are still injured or get killed due to construction site accidents.
Nevertheless, to minimize the risk of accident in the construction site, here are important things to consider:
1. Develop a formal, written accident prevention program - An accident prevention program must suit the needs of your particular workplace or operation and to the types of hazards involved. This is an outline of your safety and health plan or an injury prevention program.
2. Make sure your accident prevention program has the following elements:
• A description of your total safety and health program
• How to report unsafe conditions, hazards and practices
• The use and care of required personal protective equipment (PPE)
• How to exit the workplace during emergencies
• Identification of hazardous gases, chemicals, or materials used and instruction about its safe use
• Emergency action to take after accidental exposure to substances or chemicals
3. Develop and supervise the implementation of your safety and health training programs to make it effective in practice
4. Enforce the training program to improve the employees' skill, awareness, and competency in the occupational safety and health.
5. Train workers and employees before being assigned to their job, which may also include on-the-job safety instructions on the use of the following:
• Powered materials-handling equipment such as forklifts, backhoes, etc.
• machine tool operations
• How to handle toxic materials
• The use and operation of utility systems
However, in most cases, accidents are caused by violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA). And under California law, a violation of safety law can be used as evidence of negligence in construction site accident cases.
If you were injured in a construction site accident in Los Angeles, for instance, and you need to claim for your injuries, it is very vital for you to seek the aid of an attorney to support your in filing a lawsuit.
In The Construction Site
We have all driven past a construction site at some point or another in or lifetime. There are men and women in hard hats operating heavy machinery or carrying tools. Few people stop to think that the types of machines being used such as cranes and bulldozers are very expensive and in most cases are left on the job site overnight. This has given rise to construction site equipment theft as well as vandalism. For the worker it can be disheartening to come to work to find your lively hood has been stolen. For the company owner it can mean financial ruin, loss of revenue and loss of contracts. For the criminal who steals construction equipment, it can mean a hefty fine and a long jail sentence.
Considering the average cost for a bulldozer can cost anywhere from $10,000 all the way up to over $100,000, it is wise to take any and all steps necessary to secure construction site property. This in itself may be difficult for several reasons. For one, construction equipment is normally brought to a location via a large truck and is stored on the jobsite. It's not like an operator can just drive the machine home and park it in their driveway. Another reason is that the way the machines are designed provides very little security. More often that not they are made with safety and connivance as the top priorities, while security takes a back seat. Just as a criminal can hot wire a car or motorcycle, the same can be done with construction equipment. Savvy thieves know that the payoff for construction equipment is far greater than the cost of a normal car. What makes it worse is job sites are often in secluded areas where the average person wouldn't dare go to. This provides the perfect opportunity for a thief to load the stolen goods onto a truck without anyone seeing. Once you factor in the models that don't have locks on them, or may not even have a door, you can see how easy it is to steal them.
Once equipment has been sold it's very difficult to determine where the machine came from. In most states you aren't required to register the machine as long as it's for job site use and not driven on the public road. In the case of other types of automobiles, it would be easy to determine if a vehicle was stolen or not by the license plates or vin number.
So what are the options for securing property on construction sites? Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done to prevent it. However, you can protect yourself by using surveillance to catch criminals who have stolen property. Regardless of the public privacy debates that normally take place when dealing with video surveillance, it still works. It works for a deterrent to thieves who don't want to be filmed stealing and also in catching those who do steal. With technology rapidly bringing the cost of electronic security lower and lower, this is the best cost effective insurance you can have on a construction site.
Both Manuel Salvacion & Dwayne Goerges are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dwayne Goerges has sinced written about articles on various topics from Legal Matters, Entertainment Guide and Website Traffic. Dwayne is an editor at Affordable CCTV. For more information on stop by. Dwayne Goerges's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.
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