On large-scale construction sites, heavy equipment plays a vital role, decreasing building time significantly and increasing productivity. However, heavy machinery, such as cranes, backhoes, dump trucks, and loaders, also pose a significant danger to those working with and around them.
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one of the leading causes of severe injuries and fatalities on construction sites is the use of heavy equipment and machinery. Noisy and crowded jobsites make it difficult for workers to avoid being struck by moving equipment, crushed by falling objects, dodge a wrecking ball, or injured while steering equipment in a rollover accident.
Types of machinery that cause severe workplace accidents include:
- Bulldozers
- Backhoes
- Cranes
- Articulated and backend loaders
- Dump trucks
- Front loaders
- Hydraulic excavators
- Cherry pickers
- Compactors
- Forklifts
- Paving machines
- Road graders
- Excavators
- Trenchers
Trucks and backhoes are some of the most dangerous pieces of heavy equipment on construction sites and are involved in 50 percent of all equipment related deaths, according to the Journal of Safety Research.
What Are Common Causes of Equipment Accidents?
On construction sites, malfunctioning equipment and human error account for the majority of heavy equipment accidents. Workers can be seriously or fatally injured in the following ways:
- Crushed in equipment or vehicle rollovers.
- Pinned between heavy machinery and a wall.
- Struck or runover by moving machinery or large vehicle.
- Colliding with another piece of heavy equipment.
- Crushed underneath a structure.
- Dropped loads or objects falling from equipment.
- Entangled in machinery.
- Clothing or limbs caught in machinery and being dragged.
- Severed limbs caught in machinery.
- Falling while getting on or off machinery or equipment.
- Standing in a vehicle’s blind spots.
- Being injured by equipment rollover, either inside or outside of the vehicle.
- Crashing when equipment runs off the road.
- Struck by heavy equipment or machinery.
- Injured by a defective part or parts not properly maintained.
- Electrocution or burns when equipment comes in contact with live power lines.
What Types of Injuries Are Caused by Heavy Equipment?
Injuries sustained on construction sites tend to be more serious or life-threatening. In large commercial buildings involving tall structures and heavy machinery, worksite accidents can result in fatalities. Other injuries include:
- Crushing injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Amputation
- Broken bones
- Burns
Construction site accidents can be life-altering, even when workers survive their injuries. Limited mobility, disability, disfigurement, and chronic pain may plague them for the rest of their lives.
West Chester Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Wusinich, Sweeney & Ryan, LLC Represent Workers Injured by Heavy Equipment
Construction sites are inherently dangerous places to work. Tools, noise, heights, equipment failure, and heavy machinery all contribute to worksite accidents. If you were seriously injured on a construction site, our West Chester workers’ compensation lawyers at Wusinich, Sweeney & Ryan, LLC can help. Call us today at 610-594-1600 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in Exton, Pennsylvania, we serve clients in Downingtown, West Chester, Exton, Coatesville, Phoenixville, Malvern, Lyndell, Wagontown, Uwchlan Township, Parkesburg, Chester Springs, Lancaster County, Reading, and Morgantown.
