Common Types of Construction Accidents in Texas

November 12, 2024 by Greg Baumgartner

Risks abound on construction sites in Texas, including severe injuries. Knowing the most common construction accidents can help promote awareness and safer practices.

Scaffolding Injuries

Scaffolding provides the support needed to reach elevated areas but is also a common cause of injuries. Scaffolding accidents often involve serious falls, sometimes fatal, due to faulty assembly, missing guardrails, or poor weather.

If you have been hurt in a scaffolding or construction accident, a construction accident lawyer in Houston can help you explore compensation options for medical bills and lost wages.

Fatal Falls

The leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry remains falls. Workers can fall from ladders, roofs, or even from ground-level slips. A fall, even a short one, can result in a severe head injury or broken bones, and higher falls can be fatal. Houston’s construction safety laws require harnesses and barriers but falls still occur, leaving families emotionally and financially distressed even with precautions.

Lift Accidents

Cherry pickers, scissor lifts, cranes, and other lifts are crucial but dangerous tools on any site. Common causes of accidents are improper use, mechanical failure, or overloading, and accidents can lead to fractures, crush injuries, or fatal impacts. Inspections, qualified operators, and strict adherence to safety standards can prevent these incidents and keep workers safe.

Burns

Construction burns are usually caused by contact with electrical wiring, chemicals, or hot machinery. Electrical burns can occur from accidental contact with live wires, and chemical burns can occur to workers who don’t have the protective gear they need.

Physical and emotional trauma from burns can be lasting, and therefore, strict electrical safety protocols and chemical handling practices are of the utmost importance on Houston construction sites.

Crush Injuries

Construction sites are always a constant crush hazard of heavy equipment and materials. Workers can get severely fractured, nerve-damaged, and even die if they are trapped between machinery, walls, or building materials. Families can be overwhelmed with these injuries, but getting immediate medical care can be lifesaving.

Dangerous Equipment

To prevent accidents, skilled people must handle powerful equipment such as bulldozers, jackhammers, or power saws. This equipment can become a severe hazard through inadequate training or mismanagement. Ensuring that only properly trained personnel handle these tools helps reduce risks and keeps Houston’s construction sites safer.

Trench Cave-ins

Excavation entails digging trenches that can collapse without warning and burying workers under tons of dirt. Trench cave-ins are among the deadliest construction accidents, with suffocation or fatal crush injuries being the most common injuries. Protecting those working in excavation zones requires compliance with trenching protocols, like secure wall supports.

Chemical Exposure

Toxic chemicals, such as asbestos, solvents, and adhesives, are used at construction sites. If mishandled, these substances can cause chemical burns, respiratory problems, or long-term health problems. Proper handling training should be provided for workers, and protective gear should be available to prevent exposure to these hazards.

A Houston construction accident attorney can explain your legal rights if you or someone you love has been hurt in a construction accident and help you seek compensation for your losses.

Injured in an Accident at a Construction Site in Texas? Call Baumgartner Law Firm for Help.

Contact Baumgartner Law Firm for a free consultation on construction accident injury cases.

Baumgartner Law Firm

6711 Cypress Creek Pkwy, Houston, TX, 77069

(281) 587-1111

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