According to highway safety experts, distracted drivers are responsible for approximately fifty percent of all collisions that occur in highway construction work zones. Distracted drivers are often unaware the roadways have been altered in response to ongoing highway construction projects, according to a representative of the North Tarrant Express Project, a North Texas firm in charge of a road construction project in the region. Speed limits in construction zones have recently been lowered to 50 miles per hour in the area in an attempt to reduce the number of collisions that occur in designated work zones. Four police cars have been struck in recent work zone collisions along Interstate 635, and several other accidents have involved injuries that required an emergency response at ongoing construction projects along the LBJ express. According to safety experts, distracted drivers, whether distracted by handheld communication devices, applying make-up, or eating, face double the risk of being involved in a construction zone collision that that faced by drivers impaired by the use of drugs or alcohol.
As a car accident attorney in San Jose, I am hopeful that motorists will behave more safely in designated construction work zones to reduce the risk of accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in an automotive collision, please consider discussing your options for legal recourse with a San Jose personal injury attorney.
A new study shows that construction workers along the roadside might just have one of the most dangerous jobs out there.
Associated General Contractors of America was responsible for conducting the study, which showed that a whopping 68% of highway contractors across the country experienced an automobile crashing into a designated work zone in the past year alone. 400 contractors responded to the survey, which took place over the past two months.
Among the more shocking statistics, 18% of contractors have said that someone on their construction crew was fatally injured by a vehicle driving through the work zone. And on top of that, an additional 28% had their workers injured. These accidents in turn cause delays that then lengthen the amount of time construction areas need to be in place along the road. Nearly half of these accident-induced delays lasted two days or more.
Although the accidents described above are typically more injurious to the defenseless workers than they are to motor vehicle operators, half of all crashes hurt vehicle occupants as well, and 15% prove fatal for a passenger or driver.
Not surprisingly, the people behind the survey emphasize safety, tougher laws, and the importance of the driver slowing down in order to curb these accidents.
Being a personal injury lawyer in Ventura, I know how vital this topic is. Workers rely on drivers to afford them respect along the roads, as to do otherwise compromises not just their jobs but their lives. It’s my desire as a Ventura car accident attorney to see all persons employ safe driving practices when near construction zones.
An oil field worker died yesterday evening when he was working on a construction site in Venture County, according to news sources.
The accident occurred when a support beam fell during the construction of a new drilling rig. The worker, a man from Bakersfield, was pinned between the rig and the beam. He was 34-years-old.
The accident happened in the hills around West Fork Hall Canyon Road and Manuel Canyon Road, just northeast of Ventura. Officials reports that the victim was attempting to help two other workers after the beam had already collapsed.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of California is currently still investigating the accident.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I am so sorry to hear of the passing of this man. I offer my sincere sympathies and condolences to the friends and family during this difficult time.
In my experience as a wrongful death attorney, I’ve seen how unsafe work conditions can lead to workplace injuries, and in some cases, workplace fatalities. I hope that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is able to complete their investigation of this terrible incident and correct any violations that may have contributed to the cause of this accident.
Officials are introducing new safety standards to construction firms on how to maintain, clean, repair, and install industrial pipes, according to news sources.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board and National Fire Protection Association will be explaining the standards. The revisions come after an energy plant explosion in Connecticut proved fatal to several workers.
The deadly explosion occurred on February 7, 2010. Six workers from Kleen Energy were killed when 400,000 cubic feet of gas and air combusted during a procedure. The dangerous procedure was the “gas blow,” which forces high-pressure gas into pipes to clean them and remove them of waste. The state has since outlawed that procedure.
As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’m very sorry to hear about this explosion, and I offer my sympathies to the family and friends of those who were injured. However, I am glad to see that the government is taking steps to prevent a workplace accident like this one in the future. As a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney, I want you to know that if you or someone you care about has been injured or killed in the workplace, it’s best to speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. The lawyers at our firm are here to speak with you any time about the suffering you or someone you love endured.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in cooperation with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have issued a new set of guidelines to help those in the construction industry avoid work-related nail gun accidents and injuries, according to news sources.
The text, called Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors, is expected to “help construction employers make necessary changes to improve nail gun safety and protect their workers from preventable injuries and death,” according to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
Nail gun injuries currently make up 37,000 of the emergency room visits that occur each year. Though they are relatively simple in design, injuries and sometimes deaths can occur while using nail guns. Sometimes nails bounce off a surface and fly somewhere they were not intended to, which can easily pierce a worker.
As a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney, safety in the workplace is important to me and I’m glad to see this federal agency is taking steps to prevent injury and death. In my experience as a personal injury lawyer, I know that many accidents in the workplace can be prevented if proper safety guidelines are followed. I hope this new text will prevent injuries in the construction industry.
A construction worker was killed after a trench collapsed north of Sherman Oaks, near Mulholland Drive on Tuesday, February 8.
According to The Beverly Hills Courier, the worker was using hand tools to dig a trench that was approximately 8 feet deep, and 2 feet wide. He was attempting to locate the sewer line from the street. The man was alone when the trench collapsed, and was discovered by a co-worker buried up to his neck in dirt and unconscious. The worker was declared dead at about 3:10 p.m. It is unclear what time the trench collapse accident occurred. California workplace safety investigators arrived at the scene of the construction accident to determine what caused the trench to give way and whether proper safety measures were in place.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that construction employers take certain precautions when workers are doing trenching and excavation work at a construction site. These safety measures include but are not limited to:
- A means of escape, such as a ladder, should always be in place in a trench.
- A trench must be braced, shored, or slope sheeted to help prevent a collapse.
- All trench work must be inspected on a daily basis by a “competent person.” If there is any evidence of a slide or a potential for a cave-in, all work must stop.
- Employers must instruct their employees to recognize and avoid unsafe working conditions.
- Employers must provide their employees with adequate protective equipment.
- Equipment and materials used for excavation work must be placed at minimum two feet away from the edge of a trench.
- Extra precautions must be taken if heavy equipment is operated close to a trench due to the extra weight imposed onto the ground.
Despite regulations regarding safety at trench construction sites, trench collapse accidents continue to occur throughout the U.S. The California construction accident attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP understand the financial difficulties and other burdens a construction worker and their family faces after a serious workplace accident. Our lawyers will work diligently to ensure that those injured while at work are fairly compensated for their injuries and losses. If you have been injured while working at a construction site in California, contact our law office to schedule a free consultation with one of our highly skilled attorneys. Call 1-877-800-1700 today.
