The Rise (and Fatal Falls) of Construction Accidents

Construction is a huge job market in the United States, with over $1.7 trillion in projects going up each year and creating huge effects on the economy.

The Rise (and Fatal Falls) of Construction Accidents

Construction is a huge job market in the United States, with over $1.7 trillion in projects going up each year and creating huge effects on the economy. Unfortunately for those who specialize in this industry, construction accidents are a huge danger to those who work in these conditions each and every day. Over 47% of all fatal work-related accidents happen in the construction industry, and not much is being done to prevent these tragic deaths.

With the rise of the construction industry, there will always be accidents. Building comes with its own set of risks, as often workers are balanced precariously in dangerous situations and braving heights that would make most shiver. Even with safety equipment, falls are still the most common construction accident, making up more than a third of the “Fatal Four” which account for almost all construction injuries and fatalities.

Why Construction Accidents Are On the Rise

Following the approved safety regulations on a construction site should be an easy practice that protects the lives of all workers, but with economic pressures to build bigger, faster, and better, many sites do not follow safety regulations to the letter and end up becoming victims to construction accidents. Cutting corners, it turns out, does not bode well for the health of construction workers and leads to many tragic and preventable fatalities each year.

The ironic thing is that if construction companies did follow these regulations, they would be able to save a lot more money--on average, construction-related death can come to a staggering sum of almost $1 million in hospital bills. Obviously, it pays to practice safety while on a site with so many dangerous objects in use, but unfortunately, these tragic deaths continue.

How Can This Be Stopped?

One way to ensure that fatal construction accidents do not happen in the future is to take legal action against the company that is responsible. Oftentimes, site-related hazards are not made clear enough, or untrained workers are allowed to do tasks that they are not ready for. This is not the fault of the individuals--it is the fault of the upper management that attempts to cut corners and ends up with injured or even dead construction workers.

If criminal action cannot be pursued, hiring a personal injury attorney is a good way to ensure that you and your family are taken care of in the event that a construction-related accident devastates your finances and changes your lives forever. With high healthcare costs in the United States, it would be criminal to make a family without insurance pay for almost a million dollars in medical bills, so a personal injury lawyer can guide you towards a more realistic and justified solution than you would be able to find otherwise.

In order to prevent these deaths and injuries, the public needs to be made aware of how common construction-related accidents happen. Following safety procedures is fundamentally important in protecting the lives of these workers and people need to be aware of the risks and dangers of working in this industry.