In six major Southern metropolitan cities (Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Nashville), Nashville has the highest rate of injured workers, according to a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The study examined 1,435 workers currently employed in the six cities and compiled data from surveys and in-depth interviews. Of these workers, an astonishing 10 percent reported suffering work-related injuries, some of them multiple times. The results of the study call into question the idea that work conditions have improved for construction workers in the South.
However, the study also suggests that the 10 percent figure could be much lower than the real number, which may be up to four times higher.
IS A LABOR SHORTAGE TO BLAME FOR NASHVILLE’S WORK INJURY RATE?
Contractors in Nashville struggle to find enough qualified workers to fill job openings, according to the Associated General Contractors, a trade association in the U.S. construction industry. The University of Illinois at Chicago study points to this labor shortage as a potential cause of Nashville’s high work injury rate. The logic behind the claim says that the demand for skilled workers can force construction companies to seek employees through temporary staffing agencies. And all too often, these temporary workers are not provided with the necessary safety training needed to work safely on construction sites.
If you have been injured on a construction site, you should discuss your case with a qualified workers’ compensation and personal injury attorney to determine if you are eligible for monetary damages.
John 10:18, “No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father.”