A big city like Philadelphia will always be in the process of tearing down and building back up. There can be more construction projects on a block than actual buildings open for business.
Those projects provide many with a paycheck, but construction workers earn that money with a lot of sweat and exertion all while trying to be safe on a site. Factor in an injury, and suddenly the future of any worker can become clouded.
On the Job Accidents Involving Electricity
An accident on the job can lead to lost wages and a lengthy medical recovery and even death. A worker can feel alone after being in an accident that wasn’t his or her fault.
The CDC monitors electrical accidents closely. They report that electrical hazards cause around 4000 injuries in the workplace a year. More than 300 accidents result in a fatality. Anyone on or near a construction site can face what can be lethal dangers at any moment.
Common Causes of Electrical Injuries
OSHA receives daily reports on these incidents that put a worker’s life at risk. Electrical hazards rank sixth among all causes of work-related deaths in the United States. Experts with this branch of the US Department of Labor note a few common causes of these accidents:
- Contact with Power Lines
- Lack of Ground-fault Protection
- Path to Ground Missing or Discontinuous
- Equipment Not Used in Manner Prescribed
- Improper Use of Extension and Flexible Cords
Injuries Common with Electrical Shock
Electrical Injuries can behave differently than blunt force or laceration incidents. The voltage involved in an accident affects the severity of wounds. The amount of moisture present in the environment also contributes to the outcome. Even the phase of the victim’s heart cycle at the moment of shock can factor into how badly a person is injured.
The mildest shocks can cause numbness, tingling, and pain. At the highest end, shocks can lead to cardiac arrest, internal organ damage, and severe burns. A shock can lead to a loss of control of muscles and that can cause the victim to take a fall from wherever they happen to be working.
Who is Responsible In a Construction Accident?
A construction worker may be made to feel an accident was his or her fault. This shouldn’t be an injured worker’s concern. An employer is required to provide a safe work environment for employees. In fact, there are many parties who can be held accountable for site hazards that lead to injury.
It’s important to hire an experienced construction accident lawyer who understands and can identify all the parties that may be liable either through workers’ compensation or commercial general liability insurance policies including:
- Sub-contractors
- General contractors
- Owners of the property
- Lessors/lessees of the property
- The developer
- The engineer
- The architect
Contact a Philadelphia Construction Accident Lawyer
Accidents on a construction site involve so many factors and there is often more than one person or corporation responsible for the lapse in safety that caused your injuries. Your focus should be on your recovery and hopefully returning to the job site fully healthy again. Your focus shouldn’t be on fighting insurance adjustors and lawyers just to get some help paying your medical bills and supporting your family. You need a local attorney fighting this battle for you throughout this ordeal.
After an accident involving a serious injury, contact a highly rated Philadelphia Construction Accident Lawyer such as Edith Pearce. Unlike the huge firms with dozens of attorneys and many different attorneys handling different aspects of your case, Edith Pearce is personally involved in every case that we handle. She genuinely cares about her clients and you will not be treated like just another case or file. If you or a loved one has burn injuries after an accident, contact our experienced burn accident lawyers.