Construction site work injuries covered by workers’ compensation
Workers’ compensation, a type of insurance to help cover lost wages and medical expenses to employees injured on the job, was instituted because all jobs carry some degree of risk. Some Arizona work places, however, carry a higher likelihood of work injuries than others. For example, construction workers may run a higher risk of on-the-job accidents.
In another state, a worker was flown to the hospital after a recent construction site accident. According to reports, a house was being built when the foundation gave way. The worker fell into the hole, and the concrete debris from the collapse fell in on top of the man’s legs, trapping him.
When emergency personnel arrived at the construction site, they were unable to immediatelyy rescue the trapped worker until the machinery had been secured, for fear the excavator dangling over the hole would fall in on top of the man or the firefighters as they attempted to save him. A nearby excavator doing unrelated work for another company was brought to the accident site to help move the first excavator before they were able to proceed. Finally, after Special Hazards crews removed the concrete, the injured man was transported to the hospital via helicopter.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident to determine whether any safety protocols were violated. Unrelated to their findings is the man’s right to workers’ compensation, which can help compensate the injured construction worker for any time he has to miss at work while recovering from his injuries, as well as any medical expenses incurred as a result of the accident. As is the case for employees in Arizona who suffer work injuries, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney would be able to fight for the injured employee to receive the maximum amount of benefits to which he was entitled, if he choses to seek legal counsel.
Source: wpri.com, “Construction worker trapped, rescued after foundation collapse”, Rachel Nunes and Steph Machado, June 26, 2017
Content retrieved from: https://www.jeromegibsonlawfirm.com/blog/2017/07/construction-site-work-injuries-covered-by-workers-compensation/.