The construction industry is rife with safety violations and preventable accidents. Profit-driven construction firms routinely cut corners and engage in negligent practices that endanger their workers. These unacceptable actions cause severe and fatal injuries that could easily be avoided with proper precautions and adequate safety measures. Let’s look at some of the dangerous shortcuts construction companies might take.
Inadequate Training and Preparation
One common way construction firms skimp on safety is failing to provide proper training. Operating bulldozers, forklifts, cranes, and other heavy equipment takes skill. So does erecting scaffolding, working with electrical systems, and handling chemicals and other dangerous substances. Workers need proper instruction, certifications, and ongoing training to do these tasks safely. But inadequate safety training is rampant in the industry. Many firms stick minimally trained rookie workers on complex jobs, often with tragic outcomes.
Insufficient Protective Gear
Another area where companies cut corners is on protective gear. Construction workers need sturdy boots, hard hats, respirators, and other equipment to stay safe on the job. But some firms do not provide proper safety gear or fail to replace damaged or expired equipment. Workers are then exposed to falling objects, toxic dust, harmful fumes, and other unnecessary dangers due to the company’s negligence.
Lack of Accountability and Oversight
Construction sites require diligent monitoring to ensure proper procedures are followed, with some firms not designating adequate safety supervisors or empowering them to enforce rules. Violations go unreported, and the same mistakes keep happening. Workers feel pressured to take risks because no one is watching. Preventable accidents occur as a result.
Faulty and Unsafe Equipment
Many companies buy cheap or outdated machinery, tools and materials to save money up front. However, inferior equipment often fails, leading to injuries or accidents. Workers get hurt when ladders collapse, ropes snap, and scaffolding gives way due to companies purchasing inadequate supplies.
Excessive Hours and Fatigue
Construction is grueling work requiring total mental and physical sharpness. Many profit-driven firms force employees to work long shifts day after day, leading to exhaustion. Fatigued workers are more prone to costly mistakes and injuries.
Poor Housekeeping and Hazardous Job Sites
Some construction companies maintain unsafe job sites. Debris gets left in walkways, walls lack proper bracing, and electrical cords and gas lines are left exposed. These dangerous conditions lead directly to trips, falls, burns, and other accidents. It’s important that negligent firms correct these easily fixed hazards.
Lack of Safety Barriers and Guardrails
Falls are one of the biggest dangers in construction work, and some companies fail to provide proper fall protection like safety harnesses, guardrails, or netting. This leads to deadly plunges that could be prevented with basic precautions. Firms focused on the bottom line continue to risk workers’ lives.
Allowing Impaired Workers on the Job
Drug and alcohol abuse is a known issue in the construction industry. Unfortunately, some sites lack adequate testing and allow impaired workers on the job. These intoxicated employees operate machinery, vehicles, and other equipment dangerously. Problems happen when companies fail to crack down, waiting for a tragedy to occur before taking action.
Pervasive Toxic Hazards
Many construction materials contain hazardous substances like asbestos, lead and silica. Managing these toxins safely requires strict procedures for handling, removal, and disposal, but negligent firms cut corners, exposing workers to cancer-causing materials. Some even falsify asbestos tests to save on abatement costs.
Intimidating Workers Who Speak Up
Some companies discourage injury reporting and punish workers who raise valid safety concerns. This silencing intimidation covers up hazards and allows unsafe conditions to persist. Employees fear retaliation for speaking up, even when lives are at risk.
The decentralized, deregulated nature of the construction industry allows far too many companies to get away with these profit-driven tactics that endanger workers. Just slightly higher safety standards and better oversight could prevent countless needless injuries and deaths.
Hold Negligent Companies Accountable
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident that could have been prevented, you may have a right to significant compensation. Contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Binder Law Group to discuss your case in a free consultation. We have helped many victims of negligent construction firms across the state recover damages for their injuries, lost wages and pain and suffering. You deserve justice. Don’t wait – call today to learn how we can help you too.
You can visit our law offices at 16633 Ventura Blvd. #602 Encino, CA 91436.
Alternatively, you can call now for a free consultation on (818) 659-8588.