Fighting For Injured Construction Workers
Construction is a dangerous job no matter how you look at it. Even when all of the safety protocols are being followed, accidents happen. Whether you suffered a back strain to an overuse injury, or you were seriously injured by heavy machinery, you deserve compensation. Workers’ compensation covers partial wage replacement and full medical expenses, and you can receive it regardless of who was at fault. An experienced Orlando workers’ compensation lawyer can help.
Fatalities in the Construction Industry
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 21 percent of all U.S. job fatalities are in the construction industry. The four leading causes of death in construction include falls, which account for 39 percent of fatalities; being struck by an object, which accounts for 8.2 percent of fatalities; electrocutions, accounting for 7.3 percent of injuries; and being caught in or in-between objects or machinery, accounting for 5.1 percent of fatalities. Workers’ compensation covers loss of life, and pays medical bills for the deceased and lost earnings for the victim’s family.
Frequent Causes of Injuries
- Motor Vehicle Collisions—Working in road construction is one of the most dangerous jobs, with traffic posing the greatest threat to construction workers. From 2013 to 2016, road construction deaths rose by 43 percent, according to the National Safety Council. Distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding, and reckless driving are among the most common causes of fatal and non-fatal injuries.
- Overuse or Repetitive Motion Injuries—Virtually every construction worker will experience at least one repetitive motion injury or overuse injury. The use of vibrating tools, carrying heavy loads, and bending over or staying in awkward positions cause arthritis, bulging or herniated discs, white finger syndrome, and much more.
- Slip, Trip, and Falls—While falling from one level to another lower level often leads to traumatic injuries or even death, falling onto the same level can cause serious harm as well. Work sites are often uneven and cluttered with equipment, resulting in trip and falls to the same level and causing broken wrists, back injuries, sprains, torn ligaments, and head injuries.
- Hearing Damage—Exposure to loud noises day after day causes hearing loss, and many construction workers end up with severely compromised hearing. The longer an individual works in construction, the more likely their hearing gets damaged. Acute hearing loss can occur when a worker exposed to 140 decibels or more, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. It can be difficult being compensated for hearing loss, as employers are quick to argue that the hearing damage was caused either outside of the job or from previous work.
Our Orlando Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Can Help You Today
While Florida’s laws require employers to carry workers’ compensation, that does not mean that your employer will gladly accept your injury claim and pay out. It almost always take serious legal pressure from an attorney for an employer and their insurance carrier to accept your claim. Whether you make a small error in you paperwork, or your employer believes that you are faking the seriousness of the injury, you need an attorney to make things right. For help filing a workers’ compensation claim, call the Orlando workers’ compensation attorneys at Payer Law today at 407-307-2979 for a free consultation.
Resources:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390300/
osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html
/do-workers-compensation-benefits-apply-to-undocumented-workers-in-florida/
