Who is Responsible for Making Sure That the Construction Site Where I Work is Safe?

Depending on the project being completed or what workers are involved, many different entities may be held liable when construction accidents occur. There could be several parties involved in making sure that a construction site is safe and free of all hazards. Providing a safe workplace is an employer’s duty in any job.

For instance, you may find that a contractor or subcontractor is required to provide first aid and general medical responsibility. Subcontractors must usually comply with specific standards that ensure safety and keep workers from all harm under all working conditions. Likewise, owners of construction sites have legal responsibility of the area in which the construction is taking place. When it comes down to it, many courts will weigh control over a premises and what work is being completed when they are making a determination of who is at fault for injuries sustained by an employee or passerby who has been struck.

Unsafe Construction Workplace

 If you are injured at your job in the construction field, you may think you will never get the compensation you deserve. However, somebody is always liable for your injuries when negligence was involved. Your employer in the construction field is required to provide a workplace free of known health and safety hazards. This means that they are also required to provide safety gear to you like gloves or harnesses, inspect your workplace, and protect you from any known chemicals. Construction employers, much like any job, have a responsibility to keep you safe!

According to recent surveys, close to half of city’s construction sites are unsafe at any given time. To take these statistics further, only 55% of jobsites were found to be in full compliance with existing safety requirements. These trends have been uncovered due to the fact that construction accidents have become more and more common over the past few years. Many of these accidents are found to be preventable, which is the unfortunate truth. In 2012 alone, half of all fatal construction accidents stemmed from preventable falls and injuries to the public spiked by 25%.

What do I Need to Know About Third Party Liability?

 You may have heard about something known as third party liability, which pins a liability claim against a party other than an employer who was acting negligently. Usually, people will seek a lawsuit against a third party if they are unable to get workers’ compensation for their injuries. However, like any other occasion, negligence must be proven. You may see one of these claims arise when a laborer falls from a roof and a construction manager is held liable, when a laborer is injured during demolition and an engineer is sued for a dangerous demolition plan, or a homeowner is sued because a construction worker was injured by a collapse.

Construction accidents can be extremely dangerous and even end in fatalities when proper safety procedures are not followed. This is why it may be in your best interest to speak to an attorney that has experience in construction law. Call Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi today for more information. You may have a case and we can help you.