Our sense of sight is something that we significantly depend on to perform our everyday activities – from taking care of ourselves and/or taking care of others, commuting to work, working at our jobs, etc. When a construction site accident results in partial or complete loss of vision, it may be devastating not just for the victim, but also for his or her family members who rely on the security of their loved ones’ earnings. For a construction worker, it may even mean the loss of a future livelihood.
Because of the nature of construction work and the hazards it involves, those who are employed in the construction industry are at a greater risk of suffering eye injuries. Construction workers operate heavy machinery, work with chemicals and power tools, and operate in an environment where there is a lot of dust and debris.
How Prevalent Are Eye Injuries?
Eye injuries occur more often than we realize. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each day in the United States, about 2,000 workers suffer a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment. About one-third of these injuries are treated in hospital emergency departments and more than 100 of these injuries result in one or more days away from work. The CDC estimates that 40 percent of on-the-job eye injuries in the United States happen in the fields of construction, mining and manufacturing. The CDC also states that about 90 percent of workplace eye injuries are preventable with protective eyewear.
How Do Eye Injuries Happen?
Construction site laborers who suffer eye injuries include carpenters, plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, welders, ironworkers, etc. There are a number of ways in which eye injuries may occur on the job. Here are some of the most common causes:
Penetration: Objects such as nails or pieces of wood, metal or other debris can go through the eyeball and result in permanent loss of vision.
Striking or scraping: A large number of eye injuries result from small particles or objects hitting or scraping the eye such as dust, cement chips, metal pieces and wood chips. These materials may be ejected by tools, windblown or a fall from above a worker. Large objects may also strike the eye or face of the worker causing blunt-force trauma to the eyeball or eye socket.
Chemical or thermal burns: Industrial-strength chemicals or cleaning products are common causes of chemical burns. Among laborers such as welders, thermal burns may also occur. These types of burns routinely damage workers’ eyes and the surrounding tissue.
Eye injuries may cause temporary or permanent damage. Common eye injuries that occur on construction sites include corneal scratches, fractures to bones around the eye, lacerations, bleeding, inflammation of the iris, corneal flash burn, and damage to the retina. These types of injuries are preventable with proper eye protection.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standards that require workers to be provided with effective eye protection. In order to be effective, the eyewear must be appropriate for the hazards encountered on the job and must fit properly and comfortably.
Protective eyewear should ideally allow air to circulate between the eye and the lens. It should also fit correctly and snugly. Straps, frames and other parts should be sturdy and fit comfortably. For construction workers in particular, the safety industry offers a number of products including safety spectacles, goggles, face shields, and welding goggles and shields. It is also important that workers are trained to properly use and maintain safety eyewear.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
In such cases, injured workers may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. In addition, workers may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties. 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, etc. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitative treatment, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you have suffered eye 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.
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 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
Source: https://www.ishn.com/articles/82356-eye-safety-in-construction