Being in the construction industry means you are more or less familiar with the dangers and risks involved with construction. This is also why businesses ensure you have adequate equipment and gear in order to operate the various machines you have to work with. As mandated by law, businesses are obliged to make sure your environment is safe. However, accidents don’t choose where and when to strike, and a construction accident may happen to you. If such is the case, what should be your next move?
Numbers from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show much of workplace-based accidents in the construction industry are actually caused by what’s known as the “Fatal Four” injuries. This means being struck by an object, being caught-in/between, electrocution, and falling are in fact injuries that cause much of the deaths in the construction industry every year. In fact, of 4,693 deaths while on the job, 991 of these fatalities are from the construction industry. This is followed by thousands being injured due to these accidents every year.
Of course, these numbers do not by any means imply that you should quit working in the construction industry immediately, but it’s important to note that it’s precisely because of these risks that you and your employers should be extra wary of your workplace. Here are things to consider after being involved in a construction accident:
- Make sure you are safe and treated. No matter the kind of situation, if you experience a construction accident, get yourself treated immediately. If you have an in-house facility designed to treat construction accidents, then get yourself checked immediately. You are also free to get yourself checked by your own physician or another physician from a third-party in order to ensure your company’s physician has identified everything that’s wrong with your body. Take note of pain in the body that don’t show physically as wounds or bruises as they may be a sign of internal bleeding and you have to get them checked right away.
- Take note of everything that’s happened to you. If you have to go to a medical facility, make sure you ask for documentation on everything that’s happening. This is especially if you have to pay for expenses for getting yourself treated after the accident. Get yourself copies of medical reports, correspondence, bills, receipts, and everything that describes what’s happened to you because of the construction accident and what you had to pay for. If you had the time to wait before immediate medical assistance, try to get documentation at the scene. Take photographs of the construction accident area, what you were wearing at the time, how the environment appeared, and if there’s anything that indicates being the cause of said accident.
- Make sure you make a report and follow your workplace protocol. Do you have a prescribed set of rules in your company when it comes to accidents? If you do, make sure you follow them to the letter. If not, take note of this fact and ask your human resources department what to do. Ask where you could file an accident report, as most companies are obliged to keep an accident book or compilation of accident reports for them to be able to make assessments of how to improve their workplace’s safety. Make sure you’re as detailed and as factual as possible, and make sure you confirm that the report is how you’ve written it when they’ve finally processed it.
Conclusion
Remember that when it comes to the things to consider after being involved in a construction accident, it’s important to always try to stay calm and remember protocols you have at work. Your safety is of paramount importance, so make sure you get yourself treated as soon as an accident happens in order for injuries not to get worse over time. While accidents may happen at random, you are very well capable of making sure you stay safe should a construction accident happen. If you’re wondering about some specifics of construction accidents such as its legal aspects, then you may click here to learn more.
