What Are The Most Common Construction Site Dangers?

If you are regularly employed at New York construction sites and you’ve never been injured, consider yourself extremely lucky. Construction workers have some of the most dangerous jobs in the world. These professions have a very high injury and death rate compared to other jobs.

Compare the many potential hazards you navigate daily with those of the average person working in an office. Your daily situation has far more potential dangers than the average office worker’s.

Here are some of the most common construction site hazards:

Falling: Construction workers commonly work on ladders and scaffolds. They navigate multistory buildings that don’t have walls. Working at heights like this always presents the danger of falling. It also creates the risk of deadly objects falling on workers below.

Trench collapses: Workers don’t always think about the danger of trench collapses. However, any situation that involves digging into the earth is dangerous. The soft earth could collapse on top of nearby workers — causing catastrophic injury and death.

Electric shocks: Nearly every piece of machinery in a construction zone has electrical current running through it. The electrical lines are zigzagging through the work area, often exposed to water when it’s raining. The lines may have been hastily laid down — creating the risk of shocks. Also, workers on ladders and cherry pickers may come dangerously close to touching overhead power lines on a regular basis.

Machinery, tool and vehicle injuries: Workers always run the risk of getting hurt by the heavy and powerful machines, tools and vehicles they use to perform their work.

Repetitive motion injuries: If the above hazards don’t cause an injury, a worker might get hurt simply doing his or her job. Repetitive motion injuries from hammering, painting, sanding or using specific tools over and over again can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and inflamed joints, tendons and ligaments.

Were you hurt at a construction site? No matter how your injuries happened, and no matter whose fault it was, you may be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.