Construction-Related Work Injuries in Florida: Causes, Statistics, and Legal Help

Last Updat­ed on May 24, 2023 

• Con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries account for a sig­nif­i­cant per­cent­age of all work injuries in Florida
• Falls, being struck by an object, elec­tro­cu­tions, and caught in/between objects are com­mon caus­es of con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries in Florida
• In 2020, there were 16,700 non­fa­tal con­struc­tion occu­pa­tion­al injuries and ill­ness­es and 82 fatal work injuries in the con­struc­tion indus­try in Florida
• Injured con­struc­tion work­er can seek legal help from expe­ri­enced work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion attor­neys to nav­i­gate the com­pli­cat­ed pro­ce­dures of work­ers’ compensation

Construction-Related Work Injuries in Florida: Causes, Statistics, and Legal Help for Injured Workers

Construction Workplace Injuries

Con­struc­tion work­place injuries can hap­pen in any indus­try, but some indus­tries are more prone to acci­dents than oth­ers. One such indus­try is con­struc­tion, which involves heavy machin­ery, pow­er tools, high ele­va­tions, and oth­er haz­ards that can cause seri­ous injuries or even death. 

In Flori­da, con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries account for a sig­nif­i­cant per­cent­age of all work injuries. We will explore the caus­es of these con­struc­tion injuries, sta­tis­tics on their preva­lence, and how injured con­struc­tion work­ers can seek legal help to nav­i­gate through the com­pli­cat­ed pro­ce­dures of work­ers’ compensation.

Causes of Construction-Related Work Injuries 

Con­struc­tion work­ers face a vari­ety of haz­ards on the job, which can cause acci­dents and injuries. Some com­mon caus­es of con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries in Flori­da include:

1. Falls: Falls from lad­ders, scaf­folds, and oth­er heights are a lead­ing cause of con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries in Flori­da. Accord­ing to the BLS, falls account­ed for 34.3% of all fatal con­struc­tion injuries in the state in 2020.
2. Struck by Object: Con­struc­tion work­ers can also be injured by falling objects, such as tools or debris. In 2020, being struck by an object was the sec­ond lead­ing cause of fatal con­struc­tion injuries in Flori­da, account­ing for 16.7% of all fatalities.
3. Elec­tro­cu­tions: Con­struc­tion work­ers who come into con­tact with live elec­tri­cal wires or oth­er sources of elec­tric­i­ty can suf­fer seri­ous or fatal injuries. Elec­tro­cu­tions account­ed for 9.5% of all fatal con­struc­tion injuries in Flori­da in 2020.
4. Caught In/Between: Con­struc­tion work­ers can also be caught in or between objects, such as machin­ery or equip­ment. In 2020, being caught in or between objects was the fourth lead­ing cause of fatal con­struc­tion injuries in Flori­da, account­ing for 7.1% of all fatalities.

Statistics on Construction-Related Work Injuries in Florida 

Accord­ing to the BLS, there were 16,700 non­fa­tal occu­pa­tion­al injuries and ill­ness­es in the con­struc­tion indus­try in Flori­da in 2020. This rep­re­sents 7.2% of all non­fa­tal occu­pa­tion­al injuries and ill­ness­es in the state. The BLS also reports that there were 82 fatal work injuries in the con­struc­tion indus­try in Flori­da in 2020, which account­ed for 20.2% of all fatal work injuries in the state.

The con­struc­tion indus­try is one of the most dan­ger­ous indus­tries in the Unit­ed States. Every year, thou­sands of con­struc­tion work­ers are injured or killed on the job. The lead­ing caus­es of con­struc­tion injuries include falls, struck by objects, and electrocution.

There are a num­ber of things that can be done to reduce the risk of injury in the con­struc­tion indus­try. These include:

• Pro­vid­ing ade­quate train­ing for work­ers on safe­ty procedures
• Using safe equip­ment and materials
• Cre­at­ing a safe work environment
• Enforc­ing safe­ty regulations

If you are injured in a con­struc­tion acci­dent, you should seek med­ical atten­tion imme­di­ate­ly. You should also file a work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claim to get the ben­e­fits you deserve.

Here are some addi­tion­al tips for stay­ing safe in the con­struc­tion industry:

• Be aware of your sur­round­ings and be on the look­out for hazards.
• Use the prop­er safe­ty equip­ment, such as hard hats, safe­ty glass­es, and steel-toed boots.
• Fol­low safe­ty pro­ce­dures, such as using guardrails and lad­ders safely.
• Report any haz­ards to your super­vi­sor immediately.

By fol­low­ing these tips, you can help to reduce the risk of injury in the con­struc­tion industry.

The high num­ber of fatal con­struc­tion injuries in Flori­da high­lights the need for increased safe­ty mea­sures and train­ing for con­struc­tion work­ers. It also under­scores the impor­tance of work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion, which pro­vides ben­e­fits to injured work­ers and their fam­i­lies in the event of a work-relat­ed injury or illness.

Legal Help for Injured Workers 

Nav­i­gat­ing the work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion sys­tem can be com­pli­cat­ed, espe­cial­ly for injured work­ers who are deal­ing with phys­i­cal injuries and emo­tion­al stress. That’s why it’s impor­tant for injured work­ers to seek legal help from expe­ri­enced con­struc­tion work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion attor­neys who can guide them through the process and help them get the ben­e­fits they deserve.

At our law offices, we offer free con­sul­ta­tions for injured work­ers who need legal help with their work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claims. Our expe­ri­enced attor­neys can help injured con­struc­tion work­ers under­stand their rights and options under the law, and we can assist with fil­ing claims, nego­ti­at­ing with insur­ance com­pa­nies, and rep­re­sent­ing clients in appeals and hearings.

If you have been injured in a con­struc­tion acci­dent, I encour­age you to con­tact your local law offices to sched­ule a free con­sul­ta­tion. An expe­ri­enced attor­ney can help you under­stand your rights and options, and can fight for the com­pen­sa­tion you deserve.

Do not Delay

Con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries are a seri­ous prob­lem in Flori­da, and they can cause sig­nif­i­cant phys­i­cal, emo­tion­al, and finan­cial hard­ship for work­ers and their fam­i­lies. By under­stand­ing the caus­es and sta­tis­tics of these injuries, and by seek­ing legal help when need­ed, injured work­ers can pro­tect their rights and get the ben­e­fits they deserve. At our law office, we are ded­i­cat­ed to help­ing injured work­ers nav­i­gate the com­pli­cat­ed pro­ce­dures of work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion and get the jus­tice they deserve. Con­tact us today for a free consultation.

Topics for Further Reading:

1. Work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion benefits
2. Work­place safe­ty mea­sures in the con­struc­tion industry
3. Legal rights of injured con­struc­tion work­ers in Florida
4. Com­mon caus­es of con­struc­tion work­place injuries in Florida
5. Impor­tance of seek­ing legal help for con­struc­tion work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claims

More Questions?

• con­struc­tion-relat­ed work injuries
• work­ers’ compensation
• fatal work injuries
• occu­pa­tion­al injuries
• non­fa­tal injuries and illnesses
• con­struc­tion industry
• legal help
• expe­ri­enced attorneys
• con­struc­tion work­ers’ com­pen­sa­tion claims

Additional Help

• https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/news-release/workplaceinjuriesandillnesses_florida.htm
• https://www.floridabar.org/public/consumer/pamphlet030/
• https://www.wcinsights.com/news/florida-workers-compensation-reforms-coming-2021/

#Ama­zon #Appeal­sProcess #Back­ToWorkAf­ter­In­jury #Cal­cu­la­tors #Claims­De­nied #Con­struc­tion­Work­er­sCom­pen­sa­tion #Death­Ben­e­fits #Employ­ers #Flori­da­Work­er­sComp­Ben­e­fits #FreeCon­sult #Inde­pen­dent­Con­trac­tors #Injure­dAt­Work #Insur­ance­For­Work­er­sComp #LawsIn50States #Lawyer #Med­ical­Ben­e­fits #NJLaws #Occu­pa­tion­al­In­juries #Ore­gonWork­er­sComp­Ben­e­fits #OSHA #Per­ma­nent­Ben­e­fits #RehireAf­ter­In­jury #Repet­i­tive­Mo­tion­In­juries #Rights #SocialSe­cu­ri­ty #Tem­po­rary­Ben­e­fits #Ten­nessee­Work­er­sComp #Trans­porta­tion­Work­ers #USDe­part­mentOfLa­bor #Work­er­sComp­Ben­e­fits #Work­er­sCom­p­Claims #Work­er­sCom­pDis­abil­i­ty­Claims #Work­er­sCom­pen­sa­tion­Laws #Work­er­sCom­pRights #Work­In­jury­Terms