Common Types of Construction Accidents

• March 25, 2024
• Attorney Matt Stoddard
• Construction Accidents

Construction is one of the most dangerous jobs in Georgia, and in the U.S as a whole. There are plenty of different things that can go wrong while working with construction materials, heavy machinery, electrical lines, gas lines, and power tools. However, the vast majority of things that do go wrong can be reduced to a few basic categories.

Knowing this, construction companies, landowners, and equipment manufacturers all have a duty to do their part to prevent the most common types of construction accidents:

Falls from Heights

Construction workers often need to work at a height, using ladders, temporary structures, or portable mechanical lifts.

To prevent falls, ladders should be surrounded by fall cages above a certain height. Temporary structures should have hand rails. Mechanical lifts intended for cargo should never be used to lift people, unless fitted with an attachment designed for that purpose.

Regardless of the lifting method, anyone working at a height should have fall protection.

Unfortunately, in spite of clear safety recommendations and regular awareness campaigns, falls from heights remain one of OSHA’s “Fatal Four,” the most common causes of death for construction workers.

In just one recent example, last April, a worker fell to his death from a three-story structure while working on the construction of the new Hyundai plant in Bryan County, Georgia. Apparently, he was wearing a safety harness — which failed.

“Struck-By” Accidents

Also appearing among the Fatal Four, “struck-by” accidents are literally accidents in which the victim is struck by a moving object, most often one falling from above.

One of the more spectacular examples of a struck-by accident in recent memory would be the Midtown Atlanta crane collapse in May of 2023. During work on a building on Peachtree Street, a counterweight broke off of a crane and fell on the construction site below, destabilizing the entire building and the crane. Four workers were injured by the falling weight.

Serious struck-by accidents can also happen at a much smaller scale, however. In January of 2024, a construction crew was clearing trees from a site in Bonaire, Georgia, when one of the trees fell in an unexpected direction, striking two workers. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of them died.

Struck-by accidents are one of the main reasons why worker movements in active construction sites need to be so carefully coordinated. During any maneuver involving moving or precarious heavy objects, the only people who should be anywhere nearby are those actively involved in the maneuver.

“Caught-In” and “Caught-Between” Accidents

“Caught-in” and “caught-between” accidents can take several forms, but they all involve a worker being trapped inside something, or pinned between two solid objects. All put together, these types of accidents make up another entry on OSHA’s Fatal Four.

A classic example would be the incident at Paulding County Rock Quarry in December of 2023, when a worker fell into a gravel hopper and was trapped there for hours. Thankfully, he was ultimately rescued alive, but like most workers who fall victim to caught-in or caught-between accidents, there was a point when he was in serious danger of being crushed.

OSHA specifically warns construction contractors that poorly reinforced trenches are a common source of caught-in accidents, as they can collapse without warning around anyone working inside.

This is exactly what happened to one construction worker in Houston County, in 2023. First responders to the incident found him already dead in the collapsed trench, near an active gas leak.

Electrical Accidents

Rounding out OSHA’s Fatal Four, electrical accidents are an ever-present danger for Georgia’s construction workers.

Working directly on electrical systems requires specialized training, which not all construction workers have, yet these systems run throughout almost every structure contractors find themselves working on. Even construction jobs that seem to have nothing to do with electricity can suddenly take a turn, if workers run into unmarked cables in walls or under the ground.

Construction workers who are also qualified electricians are not immune to the danger either. Miscommunications, faulty parts, and lapses in concentration can cause disaster even for seasoned pros.

In November of 2023, two electrical construction workers were performing work on a high-rise building in Midtown Atlanta, when a sudden electrical explosion critically injured them both, and set fire to the building.

Vehicle Accidents

Although not officially included in OSHA’s Fatal Four, vehicle accidents are another top killer of construction workers, in Georgia and around the country. These accidents often overlap in definition with “struck-by” and “caught-between” accidents, but they’re worth noting separately, because vehicle accidents account for about 40% of all worker fatalities in Georgia.

For construction workers, an on-the-job vehicle accident might involve a forklift, backhoe, or other piece of specialized drivable equipment, but not necessarily.

Workers assigned to roadside construction projects are especially vulnerable to being struck by passenger vehicles. Workers who transport construction materials and equipment across public roads run a risk of truck accidents, especially if the trucks they use are unfamiliar to them or poorly loaded.

Sometimes, construction workers don’t need to be on a road at all to have run-ins with non-construction vehicles. In May of 2023, a woman in Savannah started her car and accidentally accelerated it through the open fence of a construction site, striking a worker and pinning him to a parked trailer. He survived but was seriously injured.

After a Construction Accident, Worker’s Comp Won’t Cover All Expenses

Families affected by construction accidents often have a difficult time rebuilding their lives and determining a way forward.

Obviously, if someone has died, or suffered a catastrophic, irreversible injury, life will never go back to exactly the way it was before. But even in cases where the victim is able to make a full physical recovery, the financial damage can linger on, making it very challenging to put the accident in the past.

Filing a worker’s compensation claim is usually the first resort for survivors, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s what the worker’s comp system is there for, to provide quick coverage for workplace accidents. Unfortunately, it only covers approved medical expenses, and sometimes partial lost income, never all of it.

Taking enough time off is absolutely critical for anyone recovering from an injury, but even more so for someone in a line of work as physically demanding as construction. The difference between regular pay and a worker’s comp payment can add up quickly.

Employers are typically immune to lawsuits for workplace accidents, but the safety of any one construction site usually relies on multiple different companies. If someone other than the victim’s employer contributed to a construction accident, that may open the door for the victim or their family to sue for more complete compensation.

If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a construction accident in Georgia, and would like to talk about your options, reach out to the Stoddard Firm for a free consultation.