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One of the most common ways construction workers are injured is due to electrical accidents. The injuries are often devastating and long lasting. Far too many construction workers are in electrical accidents due to substandard safety on the site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) outlines specific safety regulations to help prevent electrical accidents. Still, OSHA reports that as many as 350 construction workers are killed in electrical accidents every day across the U.S.
If you have been injured in a construction site electrical accident, Attorney Michael LoGiudice is here to do everything he can to help make sure you are properly compensated for the injuries and the consequences they have had on life as you know it.
What Kind of Electrical Accidents Occur On Construction Sites?
Both OSHA and New York State labor law has safety standards in place to protect construction workers from electrical accidents. Unfortunately, many sites fail to comply with these standards and people end up hurt as a result. Failure to comply with the following safety measures commonly results in construction site electrical accidents:
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Taking measures to prevent workers from working in proximity to open electrical sources;
Warning workers about unguarded power lines or sources;
Replacing defective insulation;
Properly grounding portable generators and other electrical equipment;
Ensuring circuits are not overloaded; and
Preventing tangles of extension cords that could be cut by power tools.
When these safety measures are not upheld, workers come into contact with power lines, old wiring, loose connectors, and other unsafe conditions leading to potentially devastating or fatal injuries. Electrical injuries can include:
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Burns
Severe scarring possibly requiring cosmetic surgery
Internal organ damage leading to permanent disabilities
Workers may also sustain a serious fall related injury after loosing balance due to contact with electrical injury. Fall injuries often involve:
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Head injury
Concussion
Broken bones
Spinal injuries
New York state labor law establishes a legal duty of construction site owners and general contractors to take certain precautions to minimize risk of injury due to electrical shock. Furthermore, the law imposes liability for any injuries sustained should the owner or general contractor fail to uphold this duty. The law imposes absolute liability for your injuries. This means that you do not need to show negligence, just that safety standards were not upheld.
Protecting Injured Construction Workers’ Legal Rights to Compensation
While you may already be familiar with your workers’ compensation benefits, you may not be aware of other opportunities to be compensated for your construction site injuries. When the negligence of another causes you pain and suffering, you may be able to recover above and beyond that paid by workers’ compensation. Being injured on the job, in addition to being extremely painful and often traumatic, can put you in a very difficult financial situation. Lost wages and medical bills piling up can put a great deal of stress on you and your loved ones. Attorney Michael LoGiudice is here for you and your family in your time in need. If you have been injured on a construction site, contact Attorney LoGiudice today.