Construction industry accidents make up a substantial portion of the number of workplace-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the private sector. ACharleston construction accident lawyercan be a valuable asset in the recovery of damages for injury or wrongful death.
Construction Accidents Each Year
First, we examine the data that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, collects and provides annually.
“South Carolina’s on-the-job injury/illness rate for private industry was 2.9 injuries/illnesses per 100 workers in 2013, a decline from 2012’s rate of 3.0 and 2011’s rate of 3.3,” according to aDecember 2014 statement that the South Carolina Labor, Licensing and Regulation Department released. “…Construction went up slightly from 2.3 to 2.4.”
There are a lot of fatalities in the construction industry. National figures tell that grim story.
“Out of 3,929 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2013, 796 or 20.3 percent were in construction - that is, one in five worker deaths [in 2013] were in construction,” according to theU.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These ‘Fatal Four’ were responsible for more than half (58.7 percent) the construction worker deaths in 2013, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 468 workers’ lives in America every year.”
Here are the numbers and percentages pertaining to the Fatal Four, according to the OSHA-cited BLS tallies:
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Falls — 294 out of 796 total deaths in construction in CY 2013 (36.9 percent)
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Struck by Object — 82 (10.3 percent)
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Electrocutions — 71 (8.9 percent)
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Caught-in/between — 21 (2.6 percent)
Construction accidents can happen in any number of ways. The South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases a list of its most cited construction violations. The most recent available ranking is from 2013. These are the top-20most cited violations:
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Fall protection – unprotected sides and edges/residential construction
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Unguarded reciprocating, rotating or moving parts of equipment
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No audible alarms for material handling equipment
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Inadequate guardrails on open sides and ends of scaffold platforms
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Failed to provide head protection
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Failed to provide approved GFCIs
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No permanent and continuous path to ground from circuits, equipment and enclosures
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Failed to ensure industrial trucks meet design requirements of ANSI B56.1-1969
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Earthmoving equipment used when the rear view is obstructed
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No signs posted prohibiting smoking
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Vehicles operated with obstructed view
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Unused openings in cabinets, boxes, and fittings not effectively closed
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No covers provided for pull boxes, junction boxes, and fittings
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Failed to use GFCIs or assured equipment grounding conductor program
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Failed to protect each employee in an excavation from cave-ins
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Ladder side rails do not extend 3 feet above upper surface
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No scaffold base plates and mud sills or other adequate firm foundation
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No fall protection for employees working above 6 feet in residential construction
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No guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system used
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No guardrail system, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system when on, at, above, or near wall openings
Per South Carolina law, an injured construction worker may not bring a negligence claim against employers or coworkers; nevertheless, an experiencedCharleston construction accident lawyer at Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy & Early LLC can provide a legal analysis of what the injured worker’s options are. Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy & Early LLC has successfully represented injured construction workers in claims against third parties.
Whether the injury is permanent, severe or fatal, the injured worker or the family of the decedent can rely on aCharleston construction accident lawyer at Pierce, Sloan, Kennedy & Early LLC for thorough representation.