Common Injuries with Construction Workers

Types of Injuries on Construction Sites

There are many different risks that construction workers face on the job. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has identified the Common Injuries with Construction sites, which include:

• Falling from heights – A worker may fall from a building, scaffolding or piece of machinery to the ground below. Workers can also fall into holes or ditches on construction sites.
• Collapsed scaffolding – OSHA has strict rules to ensure the safety and stability of scaffolding, but things can still go wrong, causing a worker to plunge to his death or to fall and sustain serious injury.
• Electric shock and or arc flash/blast – Working with generators, power tools, machinery and electrical wiring all put construction workers at risk of suffering electrical burns

Workers on construction sites who experience these or other accidents can sustain a variety of serious injuries, including:

• Burns
• Electrocution
• Eye injury, including vision impairment or blindness
• Broken bones
• Knee and ankle injury
• Neck, shoulder or back injury
• Spinal cord injury, including damage that can cause paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Illnesses caused by toxic chemical exposure
• Head injury and/or brain injury.

In the most tragic of cases, the injuries sustained by the construction worker will be fatal.

Options Available for Injured Construction Workers

You may also need to take time off from work, switch to a less physically demanding job or even stop working permanently as a result of your injuries. The costs of medical bills and lost income can be significant and can cause financial disaster.

Those hurt in a construction accident in North Carolina have two possible options for obtaining compensation:

Workers’ Compensation Benefits when they have Injuries from Construction work

These policies cover workers who sustain a work injury for any reason.

This is true even if your employer wasn’t negligent. It is also true even if you made mistakes that caused your workplace injury, as long as you weren’t violating company policy or intoxicated.

Workers’ compensation provides payment of your medical costs. It also covers lost wages and provides you with disability benefits if you are either permanently or temporarily disabled. If you cannot work at all, then you are eligible for total disability benefits. In the event that death occurs, surviving dependents can also receive death benefits through workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation is the only way to take action against your employer. You cannot sue your employer for a work injury. However, the coverage provided is broad, and you can make a workers’ compensation claim for acute injuries caused by an accident, repetitive stress injuries or illness due to toxic exposure.

Third-Party Lawsuit Claims

If someone other than your employer did something that led to your construction accident, you may be able to sue. If a tool or machine was defective, then you may have a third-party lawsuit clam against the manufacturer of the bad machine.

Third-party lawsuit claims let you obtain compensation not available through workers’ compensation, such as payment for pain and suffering. However, you’ll need to show either negligence or that a product, machine or tool was defective when used as intended in order to successfully make a third-party claim.

How Our Attorneys Can Help Injuries with Construction

These are the comprehensive legal representation:

• Determine whether to file a workers’ compensation or third-party liability claim (or both)
• Gather evidence to prove your eligibility for compensation
• Keep your claim moving forward
• Appeal a workers’ compensation claim denial
• Negotiate a settlement if there is a dispute over benefits
• File a third-party lawsuit in court and/or negotiate a settlement with a responsible third party

These are just some of the many services that our lawyers provide to clients across North Carolina. To learn more about how we can assist you after your construction accident, give us a call today or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. You will pay no attorney fees unless we secure compensation for you.

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source: https://www.lawyernc.com/workers-compensation-lawyer/common-workplace-injuries/construction/