Blog: Construction Workers Accidents

Pennsylvania bridge repair company deemed OSHA “severe violator”

Feb 3, 2016

The Pennsylvania bridge repair company, Susquehanna Supply Company Inc., has been fined $140,000 and placed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Severe Violator Enforcement Program list for a July 7, 2015 trench collapse on a work site that killed a contractor. The contractor had been working in a deep trench on the site of a small bridge repair job contracted by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation when the trench collapsed, burying him. Susquehanna...

Tragic teen accident highlights dangers of forklifts

Dec 21, 2015

A joyride on a forklift turned fatal when teens entered a Wissinoming, Pennsylvania, paper company last fall for fun. A 13-year-old boy died after the forklift he was driving collided with another forklift driven by a friend. While technically the accident wasn’t a “construction accident,” the accident highlights the dangers of driving a forklift, even for seasoned adult workers on an active job site. There are many ways for workers (and curious kids) to be...

What are the most common types of construction accidents?

Nov 28, 2015

In 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that one in five worker deaths resulted from construction accidents. Of those construction deaths, more than half resulted from just four causes: falls, electrocution, being struck by an object, and caught-in/between hazards. Caught-in/between hazards include instances where a worker is caught in a cave-in, or pulled into machinery or gets compressed between two heavy objects. OSHA states that eliminating those "fatal four" causes would save 508 worker...

Pittsburgh building boom means more construction injuries

Aug 4, 2015

It's that time of the year: the summer sun is shining and the air is filled with the sounds of baseball games, family picnics, children playing and the bangs and booms of busy construction sites. The website BuildingPittsburgh.com says construction activity is "up significantly" this year in metropolitan Pittsburgh. Commercial construction projects are up 24.3 percent and residential construction is up 31 percent over last year. While that is good economic news, it also reminds...

Proposed legislation seeks to place cameras in work zones

May 27, 2015

Earlier this month, we wrote about steps law enforcement officers are taking to keep road workers safe. Specifically they are concerned about drivers travelling over the posted speed limit in work zones. To try to prevent worker deaths troopers participating in Operation Orange Squeeze are planning on watching drivers in work zones, from construction vehicles. Police officers participating in the pilot are focused on drivers who are speeding and do not have their lights on...

Program aims to keep road workers in Pennsylvania safe

May 8, 2015

Last week we wrote a post on ways to keep those who do road work safe from back over accidents. As it turns out state officials are interested in doing that very thing as well. This is illustrated by the launch of a new safety initiative, called Operation Orange Squeeze, by the Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. The initiative is geared toward protecting road workers from other drivers in the area at the...

Top 4 hazards in the construction industry

May 1, 2015

The construction industry is very dangerous. Roughly 20 percent of all work-related fatalities happened in the construction industry in 2013, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Construction workers in Pennsylvania should be aware of the dangers they face while working. Employers also need to be aware of the hazards so they can take steps to keep workers safe by reducing hazards and accidents in the industry. Many hazards put construction workers at risk...

Taking precautions can prevent back over accidents

Apr 29, 2015

With the arrival of warmer temperatures in the state of Pennsylvania road work will likely soon be picking up throughout the state. To accomplish the work that needs to be done, workers as well as large vehicles and pieced of equipment will be out on the roads. If proper care is not taken it is possible that someone could be seriously injured and even killed by that machinery. The number of those incidents that occur...

Construction worker’s accident in Fox Chapel injures one

Mar 31, 2015

An accident involving a construction worker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Indiana County, Pennsylvania has injured one construction worker. The man was an experienced tradesman and he fell approximately 30 feet from a concrete structure. Following the accident, the victim of this tragic incident was initially rescued by his co-workers. They were able to transport him to a pickup truck to bring him to safety. The victim was then taken to Allegheny General Hospital by...

Construction workers struck in work zones

Mar 25, 2015

Stories about workers killed in construction zones due to careless driving are all too common. As construction season is once again upon us, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is asking for drivers on our highways to slow down when proceeding through these zones. Due to Act 89, also known as the Pennsylvania Transportation Plan, more work zones will be present in our state than in previous years. While construction workers no doubt appreciate the extra...