Common Types of Injuries Suffered by Construction Workers
The construction industry can be a dangerous field for workers. Heavy machinery and other hazards pose significant dangers on a daily basis to workers and other personnel on construction sites. Unfortunately, injuries often occur on construction projects sites regardless of the safety guidelines and precautions taken.
The types of construction injuries that commonly occur on these sites include:
- Repetitive stress injuries. Due to constant lifting and repetitive motions, construction workers often suffer from repetitive stress injuries. These can be quite painful and hinder a worker’s ability to perform his or her job over the long term. Symptoms of these injuries include numbness, tingling, intensifying pain, fatigue, and weakness.
- Loss of limb / amputation. Sometimes amputations occur due to lack of worker training or unsafe use of machinery. Unsafe working conditions can also cause devastating loss of limb injuries. If you have sustained one of these injuries, you may be eligible for financial recovery that involves your loss of future earning capacity.
- Hearing loss. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to enforce hearing conservation procedures for workers if noise in the workplace exceeds certain levels, specifically 85 dB for an average eight hour work time period. The OSHA requirements also forbid workers to be exposed to impact her impulsive noise greater than 140 dB. Proper your protection on the job is essential for preventing hearing loss injuries.
- Head injuries. Everything from mild concussions to more severe head injuries, i.e. traumatic brain injuries, can occur on construction sites. These injuries can lead to cognitive problems such as difficulty speaking, memory loss, and problems with concentration. Other emotional issues, mood swings, personality changes can also result from these injuries.
- Spinal cord, back and neck injuries. Construction workers are at significant risk of suffering neck and back injuries due to the pulling and lifting many jobs on construction sites require. Back strain, ruptured discs and more are possible, sometimes leading to temporary or permanent disability.
In other cases, construction workers may slip and fall off of scaffolding or other elevated heights that pose serious risk for back and neck injuries. The impact of the body from certain heights can lead to long-term injuries. In some cases, in the process of recovery, individuals may go through long periods of physical therapy to regain movement. In other cases, serious surgery is required to repair damaged portions of the spine or neck.
Sometimes these injuries on construction sites are caused by third parties, and not the company with which the worker is directly employed. Injured employees due to the negligence of third parties may file a lawsuit in civil court to recover compensation.
At Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow LLP, we understand the devastation caused by many types of construction injuries. If you have sustained an injury due to a third-party and their negligence, we’re here to help you obtain the fair and full compensation you deserve. To arrange a free consultation about your case, give us a call today at 732.777.0100 or complete the contact form.
Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, LLP has purposely remained small in size, because it is important to us that we get to know our clients and their needs. Larger NJ injury firms may churn out case after case, but that’s not how we operate. Partners Barry Eichen, William Crutchlow, and Daryl Zaslow have created a firm with the resources to handle complex litigation, and a team that takes your case personally.
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