It is common for students to look for work on construction sites during the holidays.
They may not be aware of the inherent dangers the job involves, and lack of proper safety training may make matters worse. In a situation where even regular employees lack proper safety training, the amount of risk that student workers might be exposed to is unimaginable. Recently, on a construction site on Highway 272 in Missouri, a 16-year old worker lost his life in a crane accident.
Preventable Accidents on Construction Sites
It is the duty of construction companies to provide proper safety training and protective gear to their workers and to ensure that all the equipment is in proper working condition. However, companies often fail to comply with this, and it results in unfortunate accidents. On June 24th, the authorities received a call regarding an accident on a construction site. Witnesses reported that they saw a worker struck by a malfunctioning crane. The Sheriff’s Department reported that the accident occurred when the boom of the crane broke off and hit the worker.
The death of the worker was confirmed by the county coroner. It was reported that the young worker had died just 40 minutes after the accident and an autopsy was conducted. The police confirmed that there is no criminal investigation of the construction accident. However, a safety inspection will be carried out at the accident site to determine the cause of the malfunction, and to find out who is responsible for the accident.
The High Risk of Working on Construction Sites
Kansas City Missouri workers’ compensation lawyers feel that workers in the construction sector are particularly susceptible to work-related injuries. In 2012, as many as 183,000 workers at constructions sites were injured. In the same year, 775 had died in job-related accidents on construction sites. Unfortunately, every year, more work-related injuries are reported in the construction sector compared to most other industries.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has termed four categories of construction-related injuries – the fatal four because they make up almost 60% of all construction worker deaths. These four construction worker injuries are falls, electrocutions, “struck by an object,” (as in the case of this 16-year old worker) and “caught in between.”
Loss of Income and Medical Expenses
Families of construction workers injured or killed at work have to face immense emotional trauma, and the situation is worsened by the loss of income and medical expenses, burial expenses, and other expenses. Thankfully, construction workers are covered by workers’ compensation, and they may be entitled to receive medical benefits, disability benefits, and death benefits. These benefits can help make up for the lost wages resulting from the injury and meet the injury-related expenses. In case a worker is killed at the construction site, the next-of-kin or survivors may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits. The benefits may include a percentage of the deceased worker’s weekly wage and also burial benefits.
In case someone close to you has died while working at a construction site and you need legal assistance in getting the compensation that you deserve, call The Law Office of James M. Hoffmann at (816) 399-3706.
Photo credit: Chris RubberDragon via Flickr