Everyone knows that the construction industry is incredibly dangerous and often sees the highest number of serious injuries and death in workplace accidents. Did you know if you fall into one of three categories of people that you are even more likely to suffer serious injuries or die in a construction accident? New employees, foreign-born Latinos and Hispanics, and older age construction workers are at a greater risk of injury and death in construction accidents.
El Centro construction accident attorneys represent construction injury victims and their families on a regular basis and know how devastating these accident injuries can be. See below for a further explanation of construction accidents and the groups of people that they affect most.
NEW CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYEES
Possible reasons that new construction employees are injured more frequently than more seasoned workers:
- Less skilled than experienced construction coworkers.
- Poor training.
- Negligent oversight of the new construction worker.
- Negligence in site management creating dangers that newer construction workers may not expect.
- Lack of familiarity with the construction site and equipment.
- Afraid to voice concerns over recognized dangers because he or she is the new guy.
FOREIGN-BORN HISPANICS AND LATINOS
Foreign-born Hispanics and Latinos are at a much higher risk of dying or being seriously injured in the construction business. See below for some possible reasons:
- Foreign-born Hispanics and Latinos represent a high percentage of temporary construction workers. Temporary employees sometimes do not get the training that they should receive.
- It is well known that Hispanics and Latinos are highly represented in dangerous jobs including the construction industry.
- There may be a lack of communication due to language barriers, which is a significant safety issue. Training should be offered in Spanish for Spanish speaking employees, but often it is not.
- Immigrants may not be aware of their employment rights and may, therefore, fail to speak up when they see dangers on the job.
- Undocumented citizens may fear being reported or feel as though they do not have the right to address dangerous conditions.
OLDER GENERATION CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
See below for reasons that older people are more likely to suffer serious injuries and death in construction accidents:
- When older people are injured, recovery takes longer and injuries sustained by an older person are more severe than they are for younger people.
- People are working longer and physical skills decline with age, which is dangerous in construction. Physical skills such as healthy hearing, sight, and agility are very important for construction workers.
- Falls are one of the most common causes of injuries in the construction industry and older people are more likely to fall and sustain serious injuries or death. When you put an older person in the construction industry, the risk of injuries from falls goes up even more.
If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries or death in a construction accident, contact an El Centro construction accident attorney at Hiden, Rott & Oertle LLP to discuss the facts of your case and recovery options. Everyone deserves to be safe on the job and when you are injured, you deserve compensation.