Injury and Death Toll Rises as I-4 Project Continues

             Construction can be a very dangerous career, with the injury (and death) toll being very high due to accidents in the field. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires all injuries, above simple first aid, to be reported. The U.S Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics breaks down the rates by number of employees per company. The average rate for companies with more than 1,000 employees in highway construction industry is 2.5 injuries per 100 workers. In fact, in the most recent year available in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 100 workers died on the job, nationwide.

In 2015, an overhaul construction project over one of the busiest roads in Central Florida began. It is set to be finished in 2021 at an estimated cost of over $2 billion. Since this project began, less than four years ago, 4 construction workers have died and over 160 injuries have been reported.

Of the 160 injured, 25 suffered injuries serious enough to cause them to miss time on the job and 25 were serious enough to require hospital admission. These injuries include a worker who broke both legs and an arm when he was hit by a spool of wire, a worker who fell 36 feet off a bridge, and a welder who suffered second and third degree burns to his torso and upper chest.

Also, according to the Florida Department of Transportation, 16 workers have suffered broken bones, 9 suffered from burns and 2 have severed fingers.

One of the four deaths occurred last year when rebar fell on one of the workers, crushing him to death. Just last month, a worker was killed when a half-ton pipe fell on him while loading it onto the truck.

In two of the deaths, the company was fined $20,000 for extremely serious safety violations, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, while the fourth death is still currently under investigation.

The injury rate of this project, however, is only slightly above the national average. Showing how dangerous construction work can be.

If you or a loved on have suffered from an injury or death related to construction, call and schedule a free consultation with the lawyers at Kaire and Heffernan today.

 

David R Heffernan