No matter the job a person has, it comes with potential risks for a workplace injury.
In the construction industry, those hazards exponentially increase. While slips, trips and falls, continue to take the top spot for injuries, construction workers face other conditions that may have long-term repercussions.
1. Being hit by falling objects
As people focus on their surroundings and the task at hand, many forget to look up. Even if other people work as diligently, the vibrations from equipment may lead to an unsecured tool or materials falling. Although hard hats provide protection, the pressure from the hit can still cause severe injuries.
2. Getting into a vehicle- or machine-related accident
From transporting material in a truck to loading up debris in an excavator, a job site has many moving pieces of equipment that increase the chances of an accident. Every machine should have safety warnings and a trained operator, but that does not always happen. One misstep may lead to a person getting struck or pinned. Machinery also can malfunction, which may lead to a pinch or severed body part.
3. Sustaining injuries from a fire or explosion
As a building gets erected, it means dealing with gas-powered and hydraulic equipment, gas lines and combustible materials. These elements all lead to the potential for a fire or explosion to happen. Although not as common as other injuries, the damage that these types of accidents cause can produce life-altering injuries.
While safety training and constant awareness can keep an accident from happening, faulty machinery and human error can create unexpected and dangerous conditions.
