Cook County Personal Injury Lawyer - Workplace Injuries - Most Commented

Fall on construction site(2)

Barry Doyle — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 11:43:30 GMT

Two workers were seriously injured when they fell 20 feet while working on a Florida construction site. One suffered a fractured leg; details as to the injuries sustained by the other were unclear.

The fall was over 20 feet. OSHA regulations require the use of fall protection, typically a tie line, when working at that kind of height.

On most large construction sites, the great bulk of the work is done by subcontractors, with the general contractor assuming a supervisory role. One of the areas that general contractors supervise the wrok is by assuring worker safety and requiring its subcontractors and its employees to comply with OSHA regulations and other applicable safety standards.

In Illinois, these injured workers would not only be eligible to receive worker's compensation benefits, but would also have a legitimate basis for filing suit against the general contractor for not enforcing the OSHA fall protection regulations.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

River North Scaffolding Collapse

Kristina Labanauskas — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:10:00 GMT

A scaffolding collapse in River North resulted in serious injuries to two construction workers. The collapse happened in the 300 block of West Ohio Street on Monday morning. According to authorities, something apparently broke, which caused the scaffolding to collapse against a building. The two injured workers were taken to the hospital in serious to critical condition.

Scaffolding accidents result in many injuries and fatalities each year.

In the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) in 2005, an average of 88 fatalities occurred in the years 2000-2004 from scaffolds, staging. In a Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) study, 72% of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

According to U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), all of these accidents can be controlled by compliance with OSHA standards.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Kristina Labanauskas

Equipment failure kills laborer

Barry Doyle — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:00:00 GMT

A California laborer was struck in the chest when the shovel of a steam shovel came loose and landed on top of him. At the time of the accident, he was working in a trench on a construction project.

The laborer suffered fatal injuries as a result of being hit by the shovel.

Under Illinois law, this man's family would be entitiled to worker's compensation benefits for his death. However, those benefits are fairly limited compared to the true losses that this family has actually suffered.

When there is another entity responsible for a work injury besides the injured worker's employer or co-employee, there is a potential for a liability lawsuit which would allow this family to recover the full measure of its losses.

In this particular case, the remains of the steam shovel must be preserved for investigating a potnetial case against the manufacturer of the steam shovel and its component parts, anyone responsible for maintaining the steam shovel, and the owner of the steam shovel if it is not the laborer's employer.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Fatal scaffolding collapse

Barry Doyle — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:30:00 GMT

Two Indiana construction workers fell 40 feet to the ground when the scaffold they were working on collapsed. The scaffold had a loose pin holding in one of the members of the scaffold and when the workers went to repair the scaffold, their weight caused the scaffold to collapse.

One worker survived the fall suffering chest and head injuries; the other workers suffered fatal injuries.

Federal regulations govern the construction, maintenance, and inspection of scaffolds. One of the regulations requires that the scaffold be constructed so as to support its intended loads. The weight of these workers is clearly a load which was intended for this scaffold.

The scaffold must be periodically by competent persons as well. This is intended to assure that the sacffold and its compenents are in proper condition.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Contractor cited after employee falls through floor

Barry Doyle — Sun, 20 May 2007 16:21:48 GMT

A contractor was hit with over $69,000 in fines by OSHA after an employee was injured when he plummeted three floors when the floor of the building he was working in collapased. The employee was involved in the demolition of a building at the time of the accident.

Violations of OSHA regulations such as this put employees lives at unnecessary risk of harm.

When done safely, demolition of buildings is a more complex undertaking than simply knocking the building down as quickly as possible. The OSHA violation in this case came from the contractor failing to ensure that the floors were capable pof bearing the weights placed upon them after the demolition was underway.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Trench collapse in Louisiana

Barry Doyle — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:30:00 GMT

Two workers were lucky to survive when the trench that they were working in collapsed. The trench was being dug near a highway and did not have a proper retaining wall. Authorities believe that vibrations from the nearby highway triggered the collapse.

One of the workers suffered a fractured ankle while trying to escape the trench.

Working in an excavation is one of the most hazardous duties in construction work. Workers can be buried quickly underneath tons of earth, causing them to either suffocate or suffer broken limbs.

A trench collapse does not have to be triggered by the work being done at the time of the collapse. Vibrations from nearby activity can cause the walls of the trench to shake loose. The amount of water in the soil and the consistency of the soil are also factors which must be considered.

Because of the number of variables involved and the severity of the injuries at risk, all excavation work must be done in compliance with OSHA regulations.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Scaffold collapse results in fall

Barry Doyle — Sat, 05 May 2007 08:30:00 GMT

A worker on a Maryland construction site was injured when the planking to the scaffolding he was working on broke. He fell from the scaffold 37 feet to the ground.

The worker suffered spinal fractures which may result in paralysis.

Because scaffolds raise workers so high up in the air, OSHA regulations require that all of the component parts be in safe and proper condition. This requires checking the planking which is placed on the scaffolding frame for defects. Many companies have taken to using aluminum planking because of its lightweight, durable nature. However, the risk with aluminum planking is that it conducts electricity, an important safety consideration as well.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Fatal nail-gun accident

Barry Doyle — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:45:00 GMT

An Idaho construction worker was found dead on a residential construction project. At the time of his death, he was using a nail gun to frame houses.

The nail gun apparently accidentally discharged and he was killed by a penetrating injury to his brain stem.

On a construction site, not only do the work practices have to be safe, but the equipment must be safe as well. Nail guns are a special hazard because of the great force with which they discharge nails. Accidental discharge is a recognized hazard, and manufacturers are under a legal obligation to make nail guns with guards against accidental discharge.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Worker killed by backhoe

Barry Doyle — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:31:45 GMT

A Florida worker died when he was struck by a backhoe and knocked into a trench.

He suffered head injuries which proved fatal.

The equipment on construction sites must be safe for not only the operator but those who can be expected to be working nearby.

For moving equipment such as backhoes, this may include equipping the backhoe with a beeping alarm to alert those nearby when the backhoe is in motion.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle

Worker injured by falling materials

Barry Doyle — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:24:50 GMT

At a Florida construction site, a worker was injured when boards fell from a roof truss. The workers were building a warehouse at the time of the accident.

After a 200-foot fall, the boards hit a worker on ground level. He suffered head and spine injuries.

This accident involves issues of coordination of the work. When work is going on overhead, the areas beneath must be cleared of workers in case materials fall.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Barry Doyle