According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the most common accident on a construction site involves falls. OSHA reports that nearly one-third of the 1,008 construction fatalities in the United States in 2018 involved a fall.

Even those who survive a fall at the construction site could be facing life-altering injuries. Because construction workers often work at significant heights, a fall can result in injuries to the brain, spinal cord, and bones. This can lead to a long recovery process.

Types of Falls at Construction Sites

Many different types of falls can occur at a construction site. The construction company or property site owner should take safety precautions to protect against all of these types of falls. 

These could include:

• Fall from height: If someone is on a ladder, on scaffolding, on a roof, or on a support beam for a building under construction, a fall from a height of 10 feet or more could be severe.
• Tripping over equipment: If workers leave tools or building materials in a walkway, someone could trip over them, resulting in a fall with injuries. If the victim falls onto a sharp object, he or she could suffer puncture injuries too.
• Falling into a hole: Digging is common at a construction site, meaning someone at the site could fall into a hole. Depending on the hole’s depth or what types of debris are inside the hole, this can be a significant injury.

Those in charge of the construction site must provide training and safety measures that can help to reduce fall risks at the site.

Common Injuries after a Fall at a Construction Site

Falls can involve a number of different injuries for the victim. Some fall injuries may result in a short hospital stay. Others could affect the victim’s ability to return to the same quality of life he or she had before the accident. In the most serious cases, injuries in a construction site fall could result in a fatality.

Some injuries a victim of a fall could have include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Concussion
• Spinal cord injury
• Broken bones
• Facial trauma
• Puncture wounds
• Internal bleeding
• Internal organ damage

Causes of a Fall at a Construction Site

As a worker at a construction site, you may have done everything required to protect yourself from a fall. However, a negligent act from a coworker or a mistake by the construction company could lead to a fall for you.

Some of the most common negligent actions that result in a fall at a building site include:

• Improperly assembled equipment: If workers did not assemble scaffolding properly, it could come loose when the victim is standing on it, leading to a fall.
• Unsafe ladder: If a construction company refuses to replace a ladder that is showing wear and tear, and if it fails while the victim is standing on it, this is a negligent act.
• Improper signage: In areas where visitors to the site may be present, the site owner must warn the visitors about any fall risks in the area with signage.
• Lack of safety gear: Site owners must provide safety gear to protect workers from falls whenever possible. Site owners must provide training for using the gear too.

Other Common Construction Site Accidents

Beyond falls, there are a few other types of accidents that OSHA statistics show happen relatively frequently at the construction site, including:

• Crushing: When someone at the construction site is standing near a wall or vehicle, and a piece of heavy equipment or another vehicle approaches wildly, causing a collision, the victim could end up trapped between the two items.
• Collision: Someone walking or viewing the construction site may not notice vehicles or dangerous objects in the area. One of those items could strike the victim.
• Electrocution: As electrical workers are installing new lines at the construction site, some lines may be live, while others are powered down. If someone unknowingly comes into contact with a live wire, a serious electrocution injury may occur.

We Will Protect Your Interests after a Fall

When visiting a building site, you may be wondering what the most common accident on a construction site is. If the construction company or the property site owner does not take proper safety precautions, nearly anyone could suffer a serious fall at the site. This can include workers, visitors, delivery personnel, and subcontractors.

Our law firm focuses on personal injury cases alone, giving us an advantage over a lawyer who tries to handle multiple aspects of the law, but ends up as a master of none of them. We will stand by your side throughout the case.

Speak with Sevenish Law Firm, P.C., Today

If you or a loved one suffered a fall at a construction site, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. Contact us as soon as possible for a free case review. Call 317-720-3229 to start the process.