Portland injury attorney

Reducing Oregon Construction Accident Risks

Construction workers have one of the most dangerous and toughest jobs out there. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), over 4,000 workers of all ages were killed on-the-job in 2010. April 28 was Workers Memorial Day and OSHA and the U.S. Department of Labor commemorated America’s fallen workers. The date also marked OSHA’s 40th birthday and celebrated the many accomplishments of the agency in helping save lives and promote accident prevention.

While any worker’s death is one too many, worker fatality rates have significantly dropped over the past 40 years. Approximately 12 workers are killed because of a workplace injury every day in the United States – a number that is reported to have been about 38 in 1970.

As Portland injury lawyers, we also want to take the opportunity to honor the memory of workers who have been killed on-the-job and help promote the safety and health of workers in all fields.

Safety rules and regulations are extremely important in helping prevent construction accident injuries and fatalities. It is a sad reality, however, that some contractors, sub-contractors, or others in charge at a construction site fail to respect their responsibility to maintain a safe working environment. It is also tragic when defective tools, equipment, and other products used by construction workers make their way on worksites, placing the lives of construction workers in danger.

As a high hazard industry, construction workers are supposed to receive thorough training for tasks that require them to fulfill duties at great heights, in dangerous positions, and with heavy equipment and machinery. Some common hazards that construction workers are exposed to include falling from rooftops and ladders; unguarded machinery; being hit by heavy construction equipment; electric shock and electrocutions; toxic dust, asbestos and other particles; chemical exposure; and burn injuries.

The more information, tools, and resources construction workers and employers have access to, the more construction-related dangers can be identified, reduced, and eliminated.

Source: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=SPEECHES&p_id=2503