NASHVILLE INJURY ATTORNEY CONSIDERS ACCIDENT RATES
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an average of almost 100 workers died every week on American construction sites in 2012–more than a dozen deaths every day. This is actually fewer than in years past, and yet the number is still far too high.
Construction company owners and supervisors must be far more vigilant in posting and enforcing safety guidelines on jobsites.
If you see that rules are not being followed on a jobsite, it is imperative that you file a formal complaint—remember that you cannot legally be reprimanded for following safety procedures!
The more we do our part to assure safer jobsites, the more we can cut back on preventable accidents. Far too many are still happening on our nation’s construction sites.
TREE TRIMMER SUFFERS ELECTROCUTION ON LADDER
One young man, only 19, was part of a tree trimming crew at a construction site last month, when he suffered a severe electrical shock. The accident occurred at a private home in Townsend.
His 3-person team was using an aluminum extension ladder, and attempted to move the device while it was fully extended. Unfortunately, the men were working on a bank located several feet higher than the road, and the workers were not able to properly balance the ladder when they tried to move it. The ladder subsequently toppled backwards and into a group of high voltage power lines.
The worker was not at the top of the ladder when it fell; the young man was one of two who were holding the ladder at its base. His two colleagues only received minor electrical shocks, however. It was not immediately known if this worker was directly employed by the contractor building the home.
Several co-workers began CPR after he stopped breathing. Firefighters who arrived shortly after were able to revive him and stabilize him by administering oxygen and using a defibrillator. The young man was then transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
WERE YOU INJURED ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE?
When we read of a terrible tragedy like this one, several questions spring to mind. Where was their supervisor? Why were safety guidelines blatantly ignored? Construction workers have innumerable things to think of and worry about while on the job. These men and women rely on their foremen and supervisors to make sure they are working in safe conditions. Safety should always be at the forefront.
Most workplace accidents are avoidable. A construction company’s flagrant indifference to the protection of its employees is intolerable. Allowing even a single instance of this kind of treatment tells other business owners that they can get away with it too. Cutting corners on safety is not an option.
Work accidents often leave families with a heavy financial burden. Our Nashville injury attorneys can help lighten that weight by holding the responsible party accountable for their negligent actions. If you or a loved one has been injured in a workplace accident, call our law office at (615) 866-3938. You may be entitled to compensation.