Ironworkers and steelworkers install structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support buildings, bridges and roads. These laborers perform physically demanding and dangerous work at construction sites, often from heights. Ironworkers and steelworkers who are not provided with proper protective equipment including fall safety devices face the risk of suffering falls in construction accidents that may result in catastrophic injuries or fatalities.
What Do Ironworkers and Steelworkers Do?
Ironworkers and steelworkers face a number of dangers on the job. These are
jobs that often top the list of “America’s Most Dangerous Jobs.” The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the percentage of injuries to ironworkers is among the highest when compared to other occupations.
The job of ironworkers and steelworkers may include assembling, erecting and installing large structures. They tend to work with heavy materials and sharp equipment. Ironworkers and steelworkers generally need to be physically fit and agile as they work and maintain their balance on high elevation scaffolding and platforms. In New York, the law requires that ironworkers and steelworkers be provided with safety equipment such as harnesses, guardrails and safety nets.
Common Injuries
There are a number of different types of injuries ironworkers and steelworkers may face in a construction site. However, it is important to note that falls are some of the most common dangers. These workers typically risk losing their balance, slipping or tripping and falling. They can also lose their footing on surfaces made slick by rain or ice. Here are some of the most common types of injuries ironworkers and steelworkers may sustain on the job:
Head injuries: Falls often lead to head injuries ranging from concussions to skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries. Such injuries are often catastrophic in nature, which means they may result in permanent disabilities where the worker may be unable to return to work or make a livelihood.
Spinal cord trauma: Falls or being struck by objects in a construction site may also result in severe injuries that affect the neck or the back. These types of construction accidents may also result in permanent injuries and disabilities.
Amputations: Because ironworkers and steelworkers often use power tools, they are at risk of suffering cuts and amputations. For example, metal shears used to cut the metal may result in major amputation injuries. Faulty power tools may also cause such injuries.
Broken bones: These are also extremely common at a construction site. While not all broken bone injuries may be fatal or catastrophic, they often require workers to take an extended period of time off work to go through rehabilitative treatments and therapies.
Burn injuries: Ironworkers and steelworkers also do a lot of welding on the job. So, they face the risk of suffering burn injuries. Sparks that enter a worker’s eyes may also cause serious damage or even loss of vision. This is why ironworkers and steelworkers must be provided with personal protective equipment such as goggles, clothing and gloves.
Compensation for Injured Workers
Injured ironworkers and steelworkers may not be able to return to their jobs for a long time. Some may never be able to return to their physically demanding jobs as a result of their injuries. Injured victims can seek workers’ compensation benefits, which cover medical expenses and a portion of wages lost during recovery. However, in many cases, workers’ compensation is not nearly enough to adequately compensate an injured worker for the costs of the injuries, lost wages and pain and suffering.
There are cases where ironworkers and steelworkers can file what is known as a “third-party claim” in addition to workers’ comp. A third-party lawsuit seeks substantial money damages against a number of parties and provides victims with two sources of compensation. Third-party claims are filed against parties other than the employer or co-employees and may include general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents, construction companies, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
Injured workers can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, cost of rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. In cases where a worker dies from injuries suffered on the job, surviving family members may seek death benefits through workers’ compensation and/or file a wrongful death claim against a third party.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries in a construction accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year. Our law firm also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com