The Lombardi Law Firm Blog

Construction Site Safety - In the news, worker deaths on the rise.

Construction accidents resulting in death have been more numerous lately. It may be a result of safety rules being ignored due to tighter deadlines resulting from the economic conditions we find ourselves. It doesn't matter in what countries the workers work the risk of death, wrongful death or being killed are prevalent in this high risk profession. People who come into contact with construction sites and those supporting the construction trades are also at risk.

Plane crash - 6 workers died on their way to the Plutonic Power Corp's Toba Inlet hydro power plant in South Thormanby Island, British Columbia. One worker miraculously who was asleep awoke and walked away from the burning plane wreckage. This is the second Grumman Goose plane to crash in Canada this year. Reuters of Canada also reported on this construction crew plane crash.

Heavy equipment overturn - A Colorado heavy equipment operator was killed when the crane he was driving went into a small ravine and creek near the construction site. Nov. 18, 2008. A video is available.

Second floor collapse while pouring concrete - Two workers rescued from under the ruble of a hospital construction site in Meridian, Mississippi. There were 12 to 15 workers on the floor when it collapsed. No fatalities reported.

Balance lost while installing windows on the seventh floor fall kills worker - While installing windows on the seventh floor of the construction site the worker lost his balance and fell to his death.  

Road construction worker hit by passing dump truck - Five years ago this occurred in Vineland, New Jersey. The driver of the dump truck has never been found.

A LeMars, Iowa construction worker was killed with a steel beam fell on him -  A 21 year old Storm Lake, Iowa man was killed.  S & L Construction of Storm Lake is building for Center Fresh Egg. Iowa OSHA is inspecting. In Iowa they are called IOSH. The worker is Jose Gustavo Sivrian, originally from El Salvatore.  The accident is being investigated not only by OSHA but along with the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office.

Subway collapse in China kills 4 workers - when a 75 meter long section collapsed trapping the workers. This is the Railway Construction Group.

Landslide at the Johor Baru construction site - killed two Indonesian workers who were building a hospital with their crew.  There is no mention of whether the construction practices being used at the site contributed to the earth and dirt instability.

Wall collapse in New Delhi, Indian killed one and injured two construction workers - Allegations have been leveled against the owner over illegal construction of the first floor level.

Dismantling a crane lead to a guardrail being cut on a platform attached to a tower crane - This New York construction site mishap caused the death of one worker and cost the two crane operator $50,000.00 and suspended licenses.

Hoisting materials and being under the load - This construction worker at a site in the town of San Pedro was killed when the pulley broke and the pallet of materials fell onto him. He was crushed by cement and tiles.  The investigation is pointing to defective nails used to secure the pulley to the fourth floor of the building under construction.

Exploding inert gas cylinders at a UK construction project kills one worker and injures another - "The blast at the Hertfordshire Data Centre on the Mundells Industrial Estate was described by fire officials as a "large scale incident," which investigators say was caused by a cylinder of argonite, (sic: perhaps aragonite) an inert gas used in data center fire suppression systems." Once ignited the cylinders became missiles firing and randomly flying about the site.

Lawrence, Massachusetts road construction site backing over accident kills a worker - at a highway paving project on I-495 a 31 year old worker was backed onto by a truck on the site. 

Equipment falling into trench as the ground under the excavator moving the heavy tank falls gave way or the equipment simply tipped over onto the worker burying him within the excavation.

Chula Vista construction worker killed by falling beam from crossbeam holding a wall - demolition work to make room for a new San Diego convention center.

Cab passenger driving past a construction area was killed by 200 foot high falling crane - Only 30 years of age and a promising life killed when the mast popped off and fell.  Follow the link to see photos of the construction area following the collapsed crane.  Also killed was a construction worker. Defective bolts could be the cause of the crane's mast coming off.

Repairing construction equipment kills worker when equipment pins him -  Grinding wheel of a large wood-chipping machine clogged, worker idles the engine, but didn't shut if off, worker in the repair process inadvertently engages lever that operates the chute, causing the chute to move and pinning the worker against a steel wall resulting in his suffocating to death.  The worker was 58 years of age.

Home under construction in Miami, collapsing concrete wall kills one worker and traps another for almost one hour.  Victim was 49-years-old.

U.S. Department of Labor indicates that in 2007 3.7 workers per one hundred thousand workers were killed. 

Construction Safety: Storm Lake Iowa construction worker killed by falling beam.

Construction Safety: Storm Lake Iowa construction worker killed by falling beam.

Construction worker killed by falling beam - Jose Gustavo Sivrian, was killed by a falling beam at the construction site of Fresh Egg Farms in Lemars, Iowa. Mr. Sivrian is a national of El Salvador, he was 21-years-old. IOSH and OSHA are investigating the incident that killed him. He worked for S & L Construction of Storm Lake, Iowa. The site is in Plymouth County, Iowa.

Injuries caused by falling beams are not new to construction sites. On November 10, 2008 at a construction site in Charlotte, North Carolina a crane dropped several steel beams from a bundle of steel near an uptown building under construction. The falling beams caused more than six windows to shatter as they fell and landed next to a school bus. .

The debris narrowly missed a school bus and seriously shook up the driver.

In 2006 a 42-year-old worker suffered a head injury and needed surgery when he was struck by a steel beam. That was a construction site to demolish a building. And on July 25, 2006 a similar incident occurred in Denver, Colorado when “two people were injured …. when braces that were holding a construction beam in place at a home north of Longmont gave way. The beam fell on the construction workers, critically injuring one of them.”

There are many more construction site incidents which seem to be increasing. Tomorrow we will explore several of these incidents from around the globe. Join us to see how recent construction site accidents are causing injury. If you know how others are getting injured and killed maybe you can stay away from being injured.