Risks abound on construction sites in Texas, including severe injuries. Knowing the most common types of construction accidents in Texas can help promote awareness and safer practices.
Injuries From Scaffolding
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 types of construction accidents involving these lifts 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.
Burns can cause lasting physical and emotional trauma, so strict electrical safety protocols and chemical handling practices are of the utmost importance on Houston construction sites. Understanding the common types of construction accidents in Texas can be critical for safety.
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
Skilled people must handle powerful equipment such as bulldozers, jackhammers, or power saws to prevent accidents. This equipment can become a severe hazard through inadequate training or mismanagement. Ensuring that only properly trained personnel handle these tools helps reduce risks. Recognizing the common types of construction accidents in Texas helps to keep 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 the Houston personal injury law firm of Baumgartner Law Firm at (281) 587-1111.
Baumgartner Law Firm
6711 Cypress Creek Pkwy
Houston, TX, 77069
Related Resources:
Understanding and Preventing Construction Site Accidents
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