How Dangerous Is A Construction Site?

You are subject to a number of accidents every single time you step foot outside your home. No matter how careful you are, accidents seem to be looming right around the corner. Hearing about the tragic accidents that befall unsuspecting victims on the news is surely enough to keep you overly cautious. If you drive to work, car and pedestrian accidents are all too common, that some people, when given the choice, decide to avoid driving altogether. However, what happens when you are walking and come across a construction site, apart from the noise pollution, construction sites can be a very dangerous environment. Both workers and people passing by are susceptible to fatal injuries. You can learn about this topic here.

Read on below to understand how dangerous a construction site is.

Heavy Duty Machines

Construction sites are one of the most dangerous work environments. Workers often operate heavy-duty machinery like forklifts, drillers among many others that can be life-threatening. If you work with such machines, make sure you have an adequate life plan to benefit from when things go wrong. You also have to make sure you have access to experienced personal injury lawyers for when you need it most after falling victim at your workplace. Since the smallest of mistakes can leave you with a permanent disability or even death, you want to have someone fighting on your side and securing the compensation you deserve. You will also be more comfortable knowing that you should suffer a fatal injury; your family will be looked after by receiving the compensation they deserve for losing a loved one.

Slips and Falls

Whether you are a construction worker or maybe just randomly visiting a friend of yours at their place of work, you need to be extremely careful, as falls are a common hazard at construction sites. You can slip and lose balance, which might put you in danger of fracturing your bones or worse yet, killing you. Unfortunately, safety measures can sometimes be insufficient to stop such falls from happening. Most employers have insurance against occupational injuries; however, it is your responsibility to make sure that this insurance plan is good enough to help you in your time of need.

Harmful Materials

People who live near construction sites usually complain from several health concerns like trouble breathing, vision problems or skin conditions. Over time, the dust and other harmful fumes that emanate from construction sites can cause neighboring residents serious health issues. Especially for the more fragile people, these materials can complicate their health problems further and even cause deadly diseases. Construction workers are even at a bigger risk as they breathe in these contaminated fumes at closer proximity on a daily basis. You need to report to the local authorities when a nearby construction site is not complying with the health and safety regulations, you will be doing your neighbors and the whole community a great service.

Electrocution

Whether due to negligence or unforeseen accidents, electrocution is another common hazard of any construction site. Water spills around loose electric cables can cause disastrous mass electrocution that can even reach pedestrians passing by on the surrounding streets.

Hearing Loss

Construction workers always need to have protective earmuffs when working on the site as ear damage and partial hearing loss are one of their main complaints. Subjecting the ear to long incessant loud noises can have long-lasting damaging effects on hearing abilities. If you live in a neighborhood with frequent construction work, make sure you take some precautions like installing soundproof windows, otherwise keep your regular windows closed during the day when the workers are operating their machines. If you have an elderly family member or infants, make sure they are using earplugs to preserve their sensitive eardrums.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Construction sites are not only physically dangerous; they can be mentally dangerous as well to the workers. Witnessing horrible accidents or just the stress that comes from constantly worrying about one’s own health can cause serious mental disorders. If you work as a construction worker, you know what it is like to go to your workplace every day fearing for your own life, your coworkers’ and your family in case something bad happens. This burden can stop you from functioning properly and interfere with your mental faculties. Consider talking to a mental health professional to keep you sane and give you the tools to deal with any stress-induced traumas.

It is surprising how such a dangerous line of work, where people’s lives are always at risk usually does not offer decent compensation. Responsible entities need to be stricter with the safety regulations, especially in underprivileged communities where people are more careless and unaware of the disastrous consequences to malpractice of a construction site. If you are a construction worker, make sure you follow the rules thoroughly and start looking for professional lawyers to be ready to act in case of an accident.

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