No one wants to suffer an injury on the job, especially not a worker in a dangerous field, such as construction. Accidents happen every day, however, so it’s critical to know what to do even before something bad occurs. You have rights following an injury, making it that much more crucial to know what to do after you get hurt.
Assess the Nature of Your Injury
Image via Flickr by [tomas’dzæi]
Construction sites are potentially dangerous places for the men and women who work at them. Sometimes, even if you take every precaution, accidents still happen. After suffering an accident on the job, you first need to call for help or ask someone else to do so. Then you need to assess your injury and take stock of anything that feels wrong.
Falls are among the most common injuries on construction sites, and the ultimate fear is falling from a significant height, in which case you may not be in a position to think about your injuries at all. Objects themselves can fall on unsuspecting people below and cause harm. Negligence is another issue—working with someone who isn’t properly trained or can’t perform the tasks puts everyone at risk. Accidents caused by vehicles driving on and off of construction sites are regretfully common as well.
Tools and equipment that are defective also create accidents. It’s even worse if any of that heavy equipment is defective or somehow malfunctions. The machines on a construction job can be dangerous. Tipping over in a bulldozer or using a jackhammer that malfunctions can lead to grievous injury.
Go to the Hospital Immediately
Never put off going to the hospital after you suffer a workplace injury. That’s the proper procedure no matter where you work, but it’s particularly essential with serious accidents. Not only do you need to take care of your injuries, but a hospital visit creates a paper trail.
Retain the Services of a Lawyer
You’re entitled to compensation after being hurt at your job. Once you’ve been checked out by a doctor, you need to find a lawyer. A worker’s compensation lawyer or a personal injury lawyer is your best bet. Talking to several candidates will reveal which choice is best for your circumstances. Make sure you pick someone with experience that includes construction injuries.
Check Out the Site
Your lawyer, or co-workers who are both able and willing to help you, should return to the construction site and check out the equipment to ensure everything is up to code. Construction companies that rent quality equipment and machinery have less risk of injured workers, since machines are serviced prior to rental. If you were hurt while using a construction vehicle that turns out to have problems, that can affect your claims.
You take on a certain amount of risk with a job like this, but that doesn’t mean you simply have to accept your injuries and make the best of it. Have you ever been hurt doing a construction job before? What happened?
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