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Most people are not surprised that construction work has one of the highest job injury rates in California. Some people are surprised to see office work so high on this list. Things like loose carpet, poor lighting, and open desk drawers make many offices almost as dangerous as many construction sites.
The Occupational and Safety Health and Administration estimates that the “fatal four” causes almost half of the fatal construction accidents in SoCal. More on that below.
Depending on the facts of the case, a California Construction Accident Attorney typically has several legal options. All these options provide compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. Many victims are entitled to additional compensation for things like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment in life.
Disasters like construction accidents usually have multiple causes. Money and lack of communication are usually on this list.
The construction industry is extremely competitive in California. A few dollars could be the difference between making money and losing money on a given project. Many employers feel that worker safety is a good place to cut corners. To them, the money saved more than justifies the increased risk of adverse legal action.
Basic safety equipment, like a safety harness, is a good example. Employers are legally required to pay workers for the time they spend donning and doffing (putting on and taking off) such equipment. That might be several minutes a day, and these minutes quickly add up to hours.
Some of the most common causes behind construction accidents are as follows:
On a related note, some employers alter tools to make them work faster. Speed is essential, and safety guards or other devices slow workers down.
Many construction sites employ LEP (Limited English Proficiency) workers. These individuals are highly skilled and highly motivated. However, their English is not very good.
As a result, they might not understand English safety instructions or understand supervisors when they convey the importance of workplace safety. Alternatively, if the employer provides an interpreter, vital information often gets lost in translation.
This combination often leads to a number of serious injuries. The following four injuries are at the top of the list, or the bottom, depending on your perspective:
Motor vehicle crashes are just outside the top (or bottom) four. Frequently, workers with little relevant experience operate extremely large vehicles. Making matters worse, many of these injuries occur in remote areas. The slightly-delayed response time could be significant.
Most California construction companies have workers’ compensation insurance. If that’s true, workers do not need to prove fault or negligence to obtain compensation for:
Once upon a time, workers’ compensation was an efficient system that sped financial relief to injured workers. Those days are gone. Effective legal representation is usually the difference between a relatively fast and fair resolution and waiting longer for less money.
If the employer did not have a valid workers’ compensation policy or the victim was a bystander, a personal injury lawyer is normally an option. If the defendant was negligent, which means a failure to use ordinary care, the defendant is liable not only for economic losses, but for noneconomic losses as well.
Sometimes employers do everything right and workers still get hurt, mostly due to a defective product. Manufacturers are strictly liable for the injuries their defective products cause.
Construction accident victims have legal options. For a free consultation with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney, contact the Law Office of Eslamboly Hakim. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these cases.
Picture Credit: Storyblocks
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