Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
As more building projects get underway across California, that means more construction workers are working on projects that may be dangerous and lead to construction site accidents. In a recent span of only two days, two Bay Area construction workers fell to their deaths.
The first accident victim fell from nine feet, landing on his head. The second worker fell three stories while unloading sheet rock. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigators are probing both cases.
The investigators are looking for evidence of whether adequate safety measures were in place to prevent the accidents. A spokesman for Cal/OSHA says that the inherent risks in the construction industry make it susceptible to workplace accidents and that even a fall from a lower floor, as was the case in one of the recent accidents, can be deadly. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, falls are the leading cause of death among construction workers.
Even when all precautions possible are taken to prevent a fall or protect workers in a fall, there are still catastrophic accidents that happen on construction sites. But the fact that there are so many ways to keep workers safe makes it that much more devastating when a person is injured or killed in an accident that could have been prevented.
Injuries from construction site accidents can lead to expensive medical bills and long recovery periods away from work with no income. Whether these issues are addressed through workers’ compensation benefits or through wrongful death claims or other types of litigation, employees have the right to explore their options for financial support. Working with an attorney can be an effective way for victims and their families to explore all their options and take the appropriate legal steps to pursue compensation and hold negligent parties accountable.
Source: KTVU, "Worker dies in fall at San Jose construction site," Katie Utehs, May 21, 2014
