Did you know? Fatalities are possible in just about every workplace at any time in Pennsylvania, but the construction industry, by far, loses more workers each year than any other sector. Nearly one out of every five workplace deaths happen on construction sites.
Thousands of others receive injuries each year, ranging from minor cuts or bruises that don’t cause someone to miss work, to long-lasting or even permanent injuries or illnesses. However, there are steps you can take to protect yourself on the job.
OSHA’s Top Four Causes of Death on Construction Site.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, out of 5,250 U.S. workplace fatalities in 2018, 1,008 deaths were on construction sites:
- Falls
- Electrocutions
- Struck by objects
- Caught in or between objects
Top 10 workplace safety violations
In 2018, the agency listed the most common employer safety violations :
- Inadequate protection against falls
- Missing or inadequate warnings for hazards
- Scaffolding construction/defects
- Inadequate respiratory protection
- Failure to control hazardous energy
- Ladder hazards
- Powered industrial truck accidents
- Failure to provide training to avoid falls
- Lack of eye and face protection
- Inadequate safety guards for machines
Safety tips for workers
Small businesses employ nearly 90% of all construction workers. Pennsylvania mandates that every company must carry workers’ compensation insurance to provide payment of medical bills, replacement of lost wages, scarring benefits, death benefits and funeral expenses. The best protection is taking steps to prevent injuries:
- Wear protective clothing and eye shields
- Keep your work areas clean of debris at all times
- Always be aware of everything going on around you
- Read your training material and take part in in training exercises
- Decline to use faulty tools and equipment
- Identify and clearly mark all hazards on site
Get help filing a claim
If you are injured on the job, notify a supervisor, immediately, and always before you leave the work site. Seek immediate medical care. Delay in treatment will make it harder to prove that your medical problem is related to the work event. If your employer or the workers compensation insurance carrier denies your claim, or simply will not tell you if our claim is approved or denied, do not delay. Call one of our four Western and Central Pensylvania offices – Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Latrobe, or Altoona. We will schedule you with one of our six Workers Compensation attorneys within 48 hours for a FREE consultation. We protect injured workers all day, every day. We look forward to assisting you.