Los Angeles Construction Accident Attorney

Legal Assistance for Injured Construction Workers

Construction workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, according to the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Despite federal regulation of this industry, thousands of construction workers are killed and injured on the job each year. Sometimes, construction accidents are handled as workers' compensation claims, but in other cases, construction companies or third parties are held directly responsible for negligence that resulted in the accident. If you are a construction worker and you were injured in a serious workplace accident, get in touch with a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer from Martinian & Associates as soon as possible to discuss your case.

Construction Accident Statistics

The statistics below are supplied by the U.S. DOL's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA):

Out of 4,114 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2011, 721 or 17.5% were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by electrocution, struck by object, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for nearly three out of five (57%) construction worker deaths in 2011*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 410 workers' lives in America every year.

Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in FY2011: Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305) Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303) Machine guarding (machines, general requirements, general industry) (29 CFR 1910.212)

Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy.

Scaffolding Accidents

As you can see from the construction accident statistics, scaffolding accidents are the most common cause of construction worker injury and fatality. According to OSHA, compliance with federal regulations can eliminate these types of accidents. Employers are required to set up fall protection systems specifically to prevent these types of accidents from occurring. According to OSHA, "fall protection must be provided at elevations of…six feet in the construction industry. OSHA requires that fall protection is provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of fall distance." When employers ignore these regulations and employees are harmed as a result, the employers could be held legally responsible.

Third Party Personal Injury Claims

In many workplace accidents, victims can file workers' compensation claims. This means that the employee is covered by workers' comp insurance and cannot sue their employer for injuries. In other cases, a third party can be held liable for the accident. For example, if a construction worker was injured by a nail gun because it was defective, then they could potentially sue the nail gun manufacturer. To put it simply, third-party insurance claims are claims that are not filed against the employer or employee, but an outside third party. Evaluating what type of case you have may be complicated.

Be sure to consult with a Los Angeles construction accident attorney at Martinian & Associates to discuss your legal rights.