Construction Roof Related Falls Accident Laywers

Construction work is known to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States and construction sites can be hazardous places to work. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that one in every ten construction workers are injured every year.

Injuries and fatalities on construction sites are well above other occupations. In 2009 alone, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported 3.3 million nonfatal work related injuries in addition to 9.7 deaths for every 100,000 full-time workers. The four leading causes of death for construction workers are:

  • Falls – 35%
  • Struck by Objects – 10%
  • Electrocutions – 9%
  • Caught in or between something – 2%

Roof Related Falls

The majority of construction injuries result from falls – many of them from roof tops. In fact, half of the deaths from construction accidents are the result from roof related falls according the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Reported injuries and deaths attributed to falls from roofs frequently involve:

  • Holes in floors and wall openings
  • Slippery, cluttered, or unstable walkway and work surfaces
  • Unprotected edges
  • Unsafe or poorly positioned ladders
  • Failure to provide or use safety equipment properly

Roofers have a higher death rate than other construction professions: roofers have the fifth-highest work-related death rate in construction resulting in 29.9 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers according to Data from Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 50 roofers are killed on the job every year, many from falls related to inadequate fall protection equipment.

Keeping Construction Sites Safe

It is in everyone's interest for the employer to provide a safe work environment. This often includes providing and using appropriate equipment, signage and training. OSHA recommends the following equipment, signage and training to minimize hazards and reduce falls and construction site accidents:

  • Personal protective equipment
  • Fall protection equipment including safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, and positioning device systems
  • Guardrails around skylights, roof edges and openings.
  • Audible warning systems and devices that keep windows and doors clear and barrier free
  • Appropriate signage along with ramps and defined pathways
  • Safety training classes

Call Zinda Law Group Today

If you have been injured in a fall from a roof, an electrocution, a crane accident or an excavation collapse, you need the Personal Injury attorneys at Zinda Law Group. Our attorneys have successfully represented workers injury claims involving:

  • OSHA violations
  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Crane accidents
  • Faulty machinery and equipment
  • Fire, explosions, or electrical shock
  • Scaffolding accidents
  • Exposure to toxic chemicals
  • Falling debris

Our attorneys are knowledgeable about construction site injuries and we have many years of experience in representing workers injured in construction site accidents. Call us today at (800) 863-5312 for a free, no fee consultation.