Articles Posted in Construction Accidents

On Friday, a construction worker died after walking into the path of a tractor-trailer. Police say the semi driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol nor was he driving over the speed limit. The impact of the semi forced the worker into the air, and he died before rescuers arrived at the scene of the construction site accident.

The 36-year-old worker was part of a concrete crew working near mile market 135 on Interstate 75 in Florida. No charges will be filed in the highway construction accident, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will inspect the worksite.

Construction workers are often exposed to dangerous conditions on the job, including heavy equipment or hazardous substances. The Bureau of Labor reports over five thousand workers died from construction accidents in 2006.

Florida Highway Construction Worked Killed in Accident, ClaimsJournal.com, April 6, 2009 Continue reading

Last week, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office announced that it has reached two more settlements in the 2006 Big Dig accident that killed a Jamaica Plain woman. The state settled with Gannet Fleming Inc. and Sika Corporation. According to officials, these settlements mark the end of the state’s legal proceedings against companies involved in the Big Dig construction project.

Attorney General Martha Coakley said the resolutions held the companies accountable and ensured that similar accidents will be prevented in the future, while providing the state with funds to maintain transportation infrastructure.

Gannett Fleming designed the section of the tunnel ceiling that collapsed and agreed to pay a total of $1.575 million to the city of Boston and to the state, forgoing $150,000 in payments to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Sika Corporation made the blue used in the ceiling and agreed to $200,000 to the state.

During the course of this legal campaign, the state received $610.6 million in recoveries for the Big Dig ceiling collapse and for other problems such as adulterated cement and design flaws.

AG settles with final two firms in fatal collapse of Big Dig tunnel, Boston Globe, March 27, 2009 Continue reading

According to fire officials, a construction site accident in Oklahoma City resulted in a gas leak on Tuesday. Construction crews were working to widen a road when they hit a 6-inch, medium-pressure gasline between 1 and 1:30pm. Gas spewing from the pipeline forced road closures, but police did not have to evacuate.

Fire officials stated that homes and business in the nearby area were not impacted by the shutdown.

In addition to gas leaks, construction workers face other hazards such as electrical shock accidents, fires, welding accidents, truck accidents, falls, crane accidents, and other dangers. According to the Bureau of Labor, over 5,000 construction workers were killed in construction accidents, while others suffered major injuries such as severed limbs or internal injuries.

Construction Accident Results In Gas Leak, Koco.com, March 24, 2009 Continue reading

Earlier this week, a driver veered off the road and hit four construction workers. One was listed in critical condition and another was seriously injured. The construction worksite accident occurred around 9pm on Tuesday night when the driver of a white Camara drove through the orange cones and hit a group of workers.

The driver responsible for the accident is in fair condition and reportedly in police custody. The driver’s vehicle sustained severe front end damage and was towed away. At this time it is not known if drugs or alcohol have may played a role in the car crash.

The identities of the injured construction workers and the driver have not been released. Police reopened the roadway two hours after investigating the crash and construction resumed as normal.

Four Construction Workers Hurt By Driver, WOKV, March 4, 2009
4 construction workers hit by car; no fatalities, Associated Press, March 4, 2009 Continue reading

On Tuesday, a construction worker was injured after a crane lowering a concrete wall into place shifted and the wall fell onto the man’s legs. The other workers were able to free the injured worker before firefighters arrived at the scene of the accident. The 23-year-old construction accident victim was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

Construction workers face a number of hazards on the job. In addition to crane accidents, they might also be at risk for on-site explosions, falls, fires, welding accidents, excavation accidents, and machinery accidents. Such hazards can result in permanent physical, emotional, and psychological damage, which can make it difficult for the victim to return to work.

Worker Hurt In Bellevue Construction Accident, KIROTV.com, February 24, 2009
Construction worker injured in Bellevue, Seattle PI, February 24, 2009 Continue reading

Last week, a construction accident seriously injured a worker when a crane lowering the worker into a well hit an electrical wire. The construction accident occurred around 8:45am and the worker was flown by helicopter to a local hospital, where his condition is unknown.

The local power company had to deactivate power lines where the worker was being extricated, causing blackout conditions for approximately 3,300 businesses and homes in the area. Several traffic lights also lost power. Power was restored around 9:15am.

A second worker was standing in the hole underneath at the time of the construction accident. Fortunately, the worker was not touching the worker on the pipe or the pipe itself, so that worker was not injured and did not require medical treatment. Police have not released the name of the injured worker.

Palm Beach Gardens construction accident shocks, injures worker, February 19, 2009, PalmBeachPost.com
Construction worker shocked in Palm Beach Gardens, February 19, 2009, WPTV.com Continue reading

On Friday, a construction worker was killed after falling approximately 35 feet from the platform of an extended forklift near the site of a home under construction. The forklift accident occurred around 1:30pm, and the victim has been identified as 46-year-old James Shanks, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Another worker, 43-year-old Jay Smith, was injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. His medical status was unknown. A representative from the sheriff’s office said that four workers were applying stucco to the chimney of the house and standing on an elevated platform. Other workers said they heard a popping sound as the forklift threw two of the men off.

In addition to forklift accidents, construction workers may also be at risk for fires, explosions, welding accidents, exposure to hazardous substances, and many more hazards on the job.

Construction accident victims identified, Coastal Courier, February 16, 2009 Continue reading

At a natural gas equipment yard, a construction worker for Elcorn Construction was using a forklift when the heavy machine ran over his leg. Fire crews responded to the forklift accident and flew the construction worker to St. Mary’s Hospital.

According to the fire chief, the worker’s injuries were not life-threatening. His condition was unknown.

Construction sites are often fraught with potential safety hazards including heavy equipment, fires, on-site explosions, exposure to hazardous materials, welding accidents, and more.

According to the Bureau of Labor, more than 5,000 construction workers died in construction accidents in 2006, but many more sustained serious injuries. Many of these injured workers lose their ability to work because of permanently debilitating injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, severed limbs, and spinal cord injuries.

For this reason, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires companies to follow safety precautions to prevent workers’ exposure to hazardous conditions.

Construction accident sends 1 to hospital, KJCT8.com, January 21, 2009 Continue reading

A construction accident occurred recently in Maitland, Florida when three men who were doing concrete work lost their footing after the scaffolding came loose from the building. The workers were left dangling in the air six stories above the ground while emergency rescue crews worked to help them down.

Fortunately, none of the construction workers were injured, though they were a bit shaken up by the incident. Two of the men refused medical treatment, while the crane operator was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The cause of the construction accident is under investigation.

Three workers safe after Maitland construction site accident, Orlando Sun-Sentinel, December 8, 2008 Continue reading

Design News reports that Massachusetts has dropped criminal charges against a company that had been found criminally negligent in the Big Dig ceiling collapse that killed a 39-year-old woman. The now infamous accident occurred in Boston on July 10, 2006.

After a federal investigation found that its “Fast Set” epoxy was used incorrectly to attach bolts in the ceiling of one of the tunnels in the Big Dig construction project, Powers Fasteners agreed to pay $16 million and remove the product from the market.

This agreement negates the involuntary manslaughter charges (carrying a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine) resulting from the construction accident. According to a news conference with Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, “what we have been able to achieve today is a far greater result [than the original charges].”

Massachusetts Drops Criminal Charges against Powers Fasteners, Design News, December 18, 2008 Continue reading