Construction Accidents - New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog

OSHA List of Top 10 Violations for the Year Contains Several Construction Accident Hazards

Scott Grossman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:43:38 -0500

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier this week released a list of the top 10 most frequent workplace violations of 2009. OSHA presented the list at the annual Congress and expo of the National Safety council. As a New Jersey construction accident lawyer, I was deeply concerned, but not too surprised, to see that the list contained several construction accident hazards.

]]>Leading the list of violations is one that typically involves poor installation or lack of proper safety gear for workers. Scaffolding violations were the most frequent in the US in 2009, with a staggering 9,093 violations. These accidents are easily prevented, by providing workers fall protection systems, following proper procedures for scaffolding installation and training of workers.

Following scaffolding violations on the list are 6,771 fall protection violations. These are again very easily preventable, through proper worker training and providing sufficient fall protection systems.

Hazard communication violations numbered 6,378. These violations are seen in the chemical industry, when manufacturers and importers often fail to meet OSHA standards for evaluating the risk of the chemicals they handle.

Respiratory protection violations numbered a total of 3,803 this year. These kinds of failures can expose workers to harmful debris, particles, vapors and gases increasing the chances of development of lung diseases and cancer.

Rounding off the list were 3,321lockout-tag out violations, 3,079 electrical wiring violations, 3,072 ladder violations, 2,993 powered industrial equipment violations, 2,556 electrical violations and 2,634 machine guarding violations.

The construction site is one of the most dangerous workplaces in the US. With the kind of violations the industry racks up every year, that isn't so much of a surprise.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey construction accident lawyer representing injured victims of crane and forklift accidents, trench collapses, scaffolding accidents and other construction accidents around the state of New Jersey.

Construction Worker Suffers Multiple Leg Injuries in Steamroller Accident in Edison

Scott Grossman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:38:29 -0500

A tragic construction accident at a site on interstate 287 North in Edison has left a construction worker with critical injuries. According to NJ.com, the worker Nehal Master was measuring the road, when a steamroller ran over his legs. The accident occurred at 3:30am, Master sustained multiple fractures in both legs, and was rushed to the hospital New Brunswick. As of yesterday, he was still in a critical condition.

A construction site may be home to heavy machinery including forklifts, cranes, trucks and steamrollers. Accidents involving construction equipment are entirely preventable. Any time workers are sharing a construction site with this equipment, there is a danger of collisions and being run over.

]]>There are several ways that employers can prevent accidents involving construction equipment and workers.

Pedestrian workers around the equipment must be trained properly, so they can prevent any collisions.
The operators of the equipment must also be trained properly to avoid accidents with pedestrian workers.
Very often, I notice that these accidents are caused because no one on the construction site bothered to let the worker know that construction equipment on the site was in movement. The worker was therefore unaware of approaching construction vehicles, resulting in serious collisions. Keeping channels of communication between equipment operators and pedestrian workers open, is also very important. Operators must be able to warn workers around of potential collisions.

Unfortunately, a collision between a worker and a truck, forklift, or steamroller rarely has a happy ending. These accidents often result in serious injuries that require long periods of hospitalization, and the need for physical rehabilitation and therapy.

Passaic Worker Killed in Monmouth County Construction Accident

Scott Grossman — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:52:41 -0500

A 58-year-old construction worker from Passaic County was killed in an excavator accident in Monmouth County on Monday afternoon. Juan Rivera was run over by an excavator while he was working at a house in Holmdel. The house was being renovated after it suffered extensive damage in a fire last year. Rivera and another worker from Teaneck, Bergen County were involved in the installation of a septic system. The Teaneck worker was in charge of operating an 11 ton hydraulic excavator. According to police, it appears that the operator was backing up the excavator when Rivera walked right behind it. Both men were employed by a Franklin Lakes, Bergen County landscaping company.

]]>It's always unfortunate when hard working construction employees who engage in long hours of intense physical labor are the victims of tragic accidents in their workplace. A worker should be able to report to work at his construction site every morning feeling safe in the knowledge that his work day will go off with out safety issues. Yet, all too often construction workers are at the center of some of the most preventable types of accidents. Workers falling of scaffolding, being buried under a trench collapse, and being run over or colliding with forklifts, trucks and excavators - these are all entirely preventable accidents that can be avoided simply if employers make the effort to have adequate safety measures in place.

Falls from scaffolding can be prevented by installing guardrails and equipping workers with personal fall protection systems and restraints. Being struck by falling objects or debris at a construction site can cause serious head and brain injuries. This can be avoided by having restraints for materials and tools on elevated surfaces, and providing all workers with helmets. Being struck by forklifts, excavators and other large and heavy machinery can be avoided simply if there are adequate safety procedures in place that encourage machinery operators to warn pedestrian workers in the vicinity. Very often, workers aren’t equipped with the skills needed to prevent such needless accidents because they haven't been trained sufficiently. Proving employees with sufficient training is one of OSHA's guidelines for workplace safety

Construction Accident Help

A New Jersey construction accident lawyer can file a worker's compensation claim and can also frequently file third party injury claims against a manufacturer if it is found that malfunctioning equipment or machinery were responsible for the accident.

New Jersey Company Fined for Hazardous Conditions that Could Contribute to Construction Accidents

Scott Grossman — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:58:03 -0500

A New Jersey company has been fined for safety violations in the workplace that could have proved hazardous enough to cause a construction accident. Peach State Roofing, a roofing company in Sicklerville, Camden County was fined $50,000 for a dangerous fall hazard. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors located the hazard during one of their routine inspections of a work site in Sicklerville, where two employees of Peach State Roofing were working. These two employees, according to OSHA, were not provided adequate fall protection, although their work site was located about 13 feet off the ground. This was a repeat violation for the roofing company.

]]>The construction industry has one of the highest rates of workplace fatalities among all industries in the country. The number of accidents has decreased in recent years because of stricter OSHA guidelines that mandate personal fall protection systems for workers who are working at a certain level from the ground, access to proper and well maintained equipment as well as training to perform their job well. Yet, every year, hundreds of workers employed on construction sites in varying capacities are seriously injured in avoidable accidents. The roofing industry for instance, sees an average of 38 deaths a year, and most of these are linked to fall accidents. Slip and fall accidents are also commonly seen among brick layers, as well as iron workers. Although work in this industry is inherently risky, most of these accidents are entirely preventable. When employers make provisions for fall protection systems, guard rails, sturdy ladders, and ensure that work sites are free from slippery surfaces or obstructions that can pose a fall hazard, there is a minimal risk of accidents.

Monmouth and Bergen County Construction Accident Lawyers

Workers who have been injured on a construction site are eligible for Workers Compensation benefits under New Jersey law. In addition, they may also be eligible for benefits from other parties that may have been responsible for the accident. For instance, engineers, architects, suppliers and manufacturers of defective equipment - these may be liable in the event of an accident. An experienced Monmouth and Bergen County construction accident lawyer can help a worker recover compensation from all parties that are liable. If you have been injured in a construction accident, contact a Monmouth County and Bergen County construction lawyer at my office to discuss all your options for compensation.

New Jersey Law Strengthens Mine Safety Violation Fines

Scott Grossman — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:05:16 -0500

Eerily timely in the wake of the Utah Mine tragedy, Governor Jon Corzine recently signed a new law increasing fines for violating New Jersey mine safety laws. The old law carried penalties ranging from $25 to $500. Under the new legislation, the first offense will be $2,500, then up to $5,000 for a second offense and up to $10,000 for a third and subsequent offenses. Additionally, there will be a a fine of up to $25,000 for any violation resulting in serious bodily injury. New Jersey has roughly 200 working mines and 400 vacant mines. The new legislation, A-3937/S-2386, was sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Fisher (D-Salem/Cumberland/Gloucester). It was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Sweeney (D-Salem/Cumberland/Gloucester).

Construction Worker Injuries

Scott Grossman — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 15:07:05 -0500

Each year thousands of construction workers are injured or killed in construction site accidents. Even though construction companies are typically obligated to inspect each site with safety engineers and provide safety programs, accidents still occur.

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In some instances, however, a third party is to blame for injuries that occur on the job site. When a construction site accident occurs, the owners, architects, and manufacturers of equipment can be held responsible for inadequate safety provisions. The general contractor and all subcontractors are required to provide a reasonably safe site, to warn of hazards inherent in the site and work, to hire careful employees, to coordinate job safety and to supervise compliance with safety specifications.

Manufacturers of construction equipment are responsible for designing and maintaining safe products. Defective or dangerous products may include the following: scaffolding, cranes, power tools, derricks, hoists, conveyors, woodworking tools, ladders, winches, trucks, graters, scrapers, tractors, bulldozers, forklifts, back hoes, heavy equipment, boilers, pressure vessels, gas detectors and other types of construction equipment.

Therefore, it is often possible to find liable third parties in the event of a construction related injury. This is often important because Worker’s Compensation benefits do not provide compensation for the pain and suffering that a person endures as a result of an accident.

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