• 28
  • September
    2011

A recent accident at a construction site in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, which seriously injured three workers, illustrates the potential dangers facing construction workers today.

According to Battalion Chief Charles Crane, at the time of the accident workers were pouring concrete on the roof of a building when their support structure failed, and caused the three workers to fall three stories down a stairwell. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the three workers covered in unhardened concrete.

There is currently an investigation as to the cause of the collapse, but a spokeswoman for the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety stated the Cal/Osha crews had twice visited the construction site in the last six months and didn't notice any problems.

Unfortunately, the one thing this accident shows is that serious injury can occur on construction sites even if they are monitored by safety agencies.

Options for Injured Workers

When workers are injured on the job, they have a few remedies available to them - the first of which is workers' compensation. Workers' compensation is basically a safety net for employees that provide them benefits when they are injured while working.

A second remedy available to injured workers is that they may bring a claim against a third-party that may have caused their injuries. Generally, employees are barred under workers' compensation laws from suing their employer in tort, but that rule does not apply to third-parties who they have no employment relationship with - for example a subcontractor, delivery company or manufacturer. Thus, under California law an industrial employee injured in the course of employment retains the right to sue "any person other than the employer" for "damages proximately resulting" from their injury.

If you or a loved one has been injured while working on a construction site, contact an experience workers' compensation attorney to be advised of your rights and options.

Source: Condition Of One Construction Worker Injured In Dogpatch Accident Improves, Others Still "Serious"