As a Florida construction site injury lawyer, I firmly believe that onsite construction work should only be performed by those physically and mentally equipped to handle the rigors of that line of work. Most, if not all, construction projects involve the use of heavy machinery and intense manual labor. The dangers of working on construction sites are always present, so the foreperson or supervising construction company has the responsibility of protecting their workers. Thus, if a construction company fails to supervise its site properly, and a worker is injured in Florida, then you can be sure that the injured construction worker will be hiring a personal injury lawyer for representation.
I bring up the subject of suitable construction workers for a project because this past Monday a 78-year old construction worker of Schomberg, Ontario (just north of Toronto) was killed after being caught in between a dump truck and a bulldozer. The Canadian Press reports that the construction worker was getting off of a bulldozer that he had been working on when a dump truck struck him — pinning him between the two and killing him. Local authorities state that the man was a part-time worker for the unidentified construction company and worked on an as-needed basis. A construction site injury lawyer has not been hired to represent the 78-year old as of yet, but I would suspect that representation for the worker’s death is forthcoming.
Under no circumstances am I asserting that senior citizens should be excluded from all construction work in general. However, construction companies should have specific standards of their own in place that qualify or disqualify certain individuals from highly dangerous construction tasks. Of course, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has safety standards that construction companies are required to follow. Yet, as a Florida construction injury lawyer, I strongly believe that each and every construction company should adopt its own site specific standards for a worker’s qualification to perform certain tasks.
Before allowing a construction worker to perform dangerous work, some factors that the employer should consider is: (1) age; (2) experience; or (3) physical strength required for the task. Ultimately, construction employees should not be blindly placed into a position without the proper experience, training, and physical attributes. As a South Florida lawyer who sues construction companies for employee injuries, I frequently address this issue of whether the construction employee was suited for the task he or she was performing at the time of the accident.
Going back to the 78-year old construction worker that was killed this past Monday, if I were hired to represent the man’s family in recovering damages, one of the first questions I would ask is “Why was this 78-year old man working with a bulldozer on this construction site?” Was the man properly trained? How long was he working for this construction company before being injured? Does this construction company have a history of accidents on its construction sites?
Construction site accident cases are highly complex and often involve months, if not years, of litigation. Hiring a construction site injury lawyer is very important so that you or someone you know recovers the maximum amount of damages that he or she is entitled, so Contact Us today if you or someone you know was injured in a construction accident.
By: Brandon Stein