Cases of Fall in Ohio's Construction Industry

Cases of Fall in Ohio's Construction Industry 

Firefighters responded to the Windsor Gardens complex after getting a 911 call from residents reporting that three people had fallen off from a ladder. The victims fell 25 feet while working on a gutter on the said complex and were taken away in ambulances by paramedics who arrived on scene shortly afterwards. Three construction workers suffered serious injuries Friday when they lost their balance while working at an apartment building not far from Boston, Massachusetts. Rescuers attended to them just over 11am where all 3 are currently being treated for life-threatening injuries before transferring them into emergency vehicles headed towards nearby medical facilities with police escorts following close behind due to traffic concerns created as onlookers gathered around the accident site which is located near complex on Buckminster Drive interchange area outside of Norwood, MA according to officials speaking. 

The Norwood Fire Department said a second worker was transported by ambulance to Boston Medical Center with critical injuries. A third worker is being evaluated for potentially minor injuries at Good Samaritan Hospital, but the incident has been labeled as an accident and authorities have not indicated that this event will result in criminal charges against anyone involved.

Construction Statistics 

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Falls deemed as the major cause of work-related fatalities in construction, that shares for 36.4% of the total number of fatalities in this industry. Out of 991 construction fatalities recorded in 2019, 401 of theme were falls to a lower level.

• In 2019, construction employees population situates at around 11.4 million, a 25% increase since 2011.

• Hispanic construction workers employment growth sprouted, rising by more than half (55%) during this period.

• Construction workers are more likely to be male (90.8% versus 53.2%), Hispanic (28.6% versus 16.4%), and foreign-born (24.7% versus 17.1%) than the general U.S. workforce.

• The reported numbers of fatalities from struck-by incidents (170; 15.4%) and electrocutions (79; 7.2%) decreased from 2018 to 2019, the number of fatalities due to caught-in/between incidents (59; 5.4%) remained relatively constant and fall cases spikes and deemed as the leading cause of in-work fatalities (36.4%).

• Fatalities among Hispanic construction workers are particularly concerning, with the number of fatal injuries rising about 90% from 2011 to 2019, outpacing their employment growth in the industry during the period.

• Small employers with fewer than 20 employees accounted for 75% of fatal falls between 2015 and 2017, despite making up only 39% of construction payroll employment.

As a responsible employee and cautious employer, following some countermeasures and invest a little to details and equipments would benefit both sides, such as:

• making sure employees wear their proper protective gear 
• quality checking for materials, especially on employees' most used equipment such as scaffolding
• conspicuous warning and informative signs
• usage of technology for communication and decisions
• lastly, training according to OSH is a must

Construction worker injured at work? File for Workers Compensation. Construction workers who sustain injuries on the job can file for workers compensation and hire a lawyer to help with their case. The attorney will assist in obtaining medical care, physical therapy, vocational rehabilitation services if necessary, as well as any benefits that may be due them from Social Security or private disability insurance coverage.

At Ryan LLP, we have successfully settled and litigated cases involving chronic back pain, loss of limb or paralysis caused by construction accidents. Our attorneys understand these situations and will fight for your interests with the knowledge our 40-plus years in practice has given them.