Construction Accidents Lawyer

The construction industry can be a dangerous business. According to the 2006 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, In Indiana alone there were 150,100 nonfatal workplace accident injuries in the construction industry over the one year period of the study. The bureau also conducted the 2006 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) in Indiana’s construction industry and reported 27 fatal workplace accident injuries in the same time period. If you have been hurt on a construction site and have suffered serious injuries, you should contact our Indiana construction injury lawyers to see if you are eligible for compensation. Even if you are already receiving workers compensation benefits, you may be entitled to much more than what workers compensation alone pays.

Construction / Workplace Safety

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has issued recommended guidelines for workplace safety. All employers should abide by these guidelines to help reduce workplace accidents.

OSHA General Workplace Safety Guidelines include:

Employers are advised and encouraged to institute and maintain in their establishments a program that provides adequate systematic policies, procedures, and practices to protect their employees from, and allow them to recognize, job-related safety and health hazards.
An effective program includes provisions for the systematic identification, evaluation, and prevention or control of general workplace hazards, specific job hazards, and potential hazards that may arise from foreseeable conditions.

An effective occupational safety and health program will include the following four main elements: management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training.

Many standards promulgated by OSHA explicitly require the employer to train employees in the safety and health aspects of their jobs. Other OSHA standards make it the employer's responsibility to limit certain job assignments to employees who are "certified," "competent," or "qualified," meaning that they have had special previous training.

Employers Must Grant Access to Medical and Exposure Records:

Each employer shall permit employees, their designated representatives, and OSHA direct access to employer-maintained exposure and medical records. The standard limits access only to those employees who are, have been (including former employees), or will be exposed to toxic substances or harmful physical agents.

OSHA provides workplace regulations and guidelines specifically for the construction industry and covers such topics as:

Confined Spaces

Concrete and Masonry Construction

Cranes and Derricks

Disposal Chutes

Drinking Water

Electrical Work Practices

Explosives and Blasting

Steel Erection

Click here for a full list of OSHA’s regulations and guidelines for construction workplace safety.

Contact our Indianapolis, Indiana Injury Attorneys for your Construction or Workplace Accident Case

Have you been hurt on the job and need legal advice? Have you been told that workers compensation is your only remedy? If so, contact our Indiana construction accident lawyers at Baker and Gilchrist today for your free, no-obligation consultation and we will work to get you compensation for your injuries!