Hazardous Materials and Construction Site Injuries in Illinois

 Posted on July 09, 2021 in Personal Injury

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency that oversees workplace safety in the United States. The agency has designated construction sites as one of the most dangerous workplaces because of the high number of deaths and injuries of construction workers each year. The agency has even identified the top construction site hazards, referred to as the “Fatal Four,” that are responsible for the most construction site accident deaths. These four are falls, struck by an object, electrocutions, and caught-in/between, compressed or crushed.

Hazardous Materials

The Fatal Four are also responsible for a high number of violations that OSHA issues each year against companies who fail to follow rules and regulations. Another OSHA top 10 danger that many construction workers are exposed to is hazardous materials. In 2020, OSHA hazardous material violations were one of the most common reasons companies were cited by the agency. The most frequent violations included:

• Failure of employers to warn and train workers about using the hazardous materials

• Failure of employers to have a written hazard communication program

• Failure of employers to properly label hazardous material containers

• Failure to employers to provide every worker with safety sheets

• Failure of employers to provide workers with appropriate respiratory protection when working around hazardous fumes, dust, gases, and vapors

Construction sites have all types of hazardous materials that can result in injury or death to workers. Chemical solvents, such as adhesives, cleaning materials, and paints, are found on just about every site. Long-term exposure to these chemicals can lead to damage to a worker’s nerves or lungs and can also cause issues with brain functions. Many of these solvents are also known to cause cancer.

There are also a high number of flammable materials – explosives, gases, liquids, and other reactive agents – that can quickly burst into flames, not only putting workers in peril, but also endangering people in the community in the area the construction site is located in.

Mold is also another hazardous substance that many construction site workers are exposed to, especially when working in old or damaged properties. A worker who is repeatedly exposed to mold can develop asthma, allergies, and other respiratory issues, especially when they are not provided with the appropriate safety gear.

Contact a Barrington, IL Personal Injury Attorney

If you are a worker who has sustained an injury caused by your work on a construction site, there are a number of legal options for financial compensation, depending on the circumstances of your injury. Call Joseph M. Lucas & Associates, LLC at 847-381-8700 to schedule a free and confidential consultation with one of our dedicated Barrington, IL construction site lawyers.

Sources:

https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/construction_hazards_qc.pdf

https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats