South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
A local worker was severely injury and rushed to the hospital after being struck by a collapsing beam on a construction site in a Fort Lauderdale fall accident. According to CBS Miami, it happened at the construction site at 109 S. Gordon Road. Workers there were constructing a two-story home at the time of the accident.
The injured worker was pouring concrete when the board that he was using to stand on gave way. On scene, there were Fort Lauderdale firefighters. The man fell close to 30 feet. He was transported to the Broward Health Medical Center.
Out of close to 4,000 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2012, 775 (or close to 20 percent) were in construction. The number one cause of these fatalities on construction sites across the nation were falls, struck by object, electrocution and caught-in/between accidents ( These incidents have been dubbed as the “Fatal Four” and were responsible for close to 60 percent of construction worker fatalities in 2012). Getting rid of these risks would help to save close to 450 workers’ lives across the nation each and every year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Falls are the most frequently occurring and the most costly of the constriction accidents annually. Falls account for about 25 percent of all claim volumes and more than 35 percent of all claim costs. The other dominant accident categories in construction are overexertion and struck by. These three mechanisms of injury account for about 70 percent of all claim volumes and 71 percent of all costs.
Who is at risk?
-Workers between 25 and 34 years old are the most likely to be injured in a construction site accident.
-Most of the accidents in construction injure a workers’ trunk, spine or back.
Based on data from the NIOSH National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities (NTOF) Surveillance System, falls from elevations were the fourth leading cause of workplace death from 1980 through 1994. The 8,102 deaths due to falls from elevations accounted for 10% of all occupational fatalities during this period and an average of 540 deaths per year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2011, there were close to 700 workers who lost their lives as a result of falls, slips or trips, accounting for approximately 14 percent of all fatal work accidents in 2011. Falls to a lower level accounted for 541 of those fatalities, though not all took place on construction sites.
When working from heights, such as ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. Begin by deciding how the job will be done, what tasks will be involved, and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Freeman Injury Law for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Temporary Workers at High Risk of Injury in Fort Laudredale, West Palm Beach, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, May 13, 2013
U.S. Airways, Inc. v. McCutchen, Equitable Relief, and Third-Party Work Accidents, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, April 22, 2013