Industrial Accidents

Many of America’s finest work in plants and textile mills every day, and they are too often at risk for industrial accidents. Without these workers, however, we would simply not have the necessities of life that we too often take for granted. It is our obligation as a society to ensure that they are safe at work, and it is the responsibility of employers to ensure that employees and others present on job sites are safe from the risk of industrial accidents. At Scott & Wallace, we understand the sacrifice these workers make. We understand the extensive hours they work and the dangers they face just doing what they do.

According to data collected by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) – Worker Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities:

4,609 workers were killed on the job in 2011 [BLS revised 2011 workplace fatality data*] (3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)—almost 90 a week or nearly 13 deaths every day. (This is the third lowest annual total since the fatal injury census was first conducted in 1992).

749 Hispanic or Latino workers were killed from work-related injuries in 2011—more than 14 deaths a week or two Latino workers killed every single day of the year, all year long.

Fatal work injuries involving contractors accounted for 12 percent of all fatal work injuries in 2011. Hispanic or Latino contractors accounted for 28 percent of fatal work injuries among contractors—well above their 16 percent share of the overall fatal work injury total in 2011.

Construction’s “Fatal Four”:

Out of 4,188* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2011, 738 or 17.6% were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by electrocution, struck by object, and caught-in/between. These “Fatal Four” were responsible for nearly three out of five (56%) construction worker deaths in 2011*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 419 workers’ lives in America every year.

1. Falls – 259 out of 738 total deaths in construction in CY 2011 (35%)
2. Electrocutions – 69 (9%)
3. Struck by Object – 73 (10%)
4. Caught-in/between – 18 (2%)

Top 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Standards Violated in FY 2012 (The following were the top 10 most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA in fiscal year 2012:

1. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)
2. Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200)
3. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451)
4. Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134)
5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)
6. Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178)
7. Electrical, wiring methods, components, and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305)
8. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
9. Machines, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212)
10. Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303)

Overview

If you or a loved one has been injured in an industrial accident in North Florida or Southwest Georgia, let the lawyers at Scott & Wallace help. Contact us today for a free consultation.