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Construction is one of the most dangerous lines of work that exist today. Of course, closely following strict guidelines at construction sites ensures the safety of workers and passersby. However, all too often construction companies fail to adhere to these restrictions and people are hurt.
Last week, three construction workers had to be rushed to the hospital when a chunk of an office building fell from ten stories and landed on one of them at a construction site near Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
The accident occurred around 1 p.m. on Thursday as the construction crew was working on a facade at the Lafayette Building. Reportedly, the chunk of facade that fell was slightly larger than the size of a person.
Firefighters said that when the chunk fell to the street, it landed on one construction worker and hit another, injuring him. They said a third construction worker suffered a heart attack during the incident. Firefighters didn’t give any additional details about the accident, or report the extent of the construction workers’ injuries.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was called in to investigate the accident scene, an OSHA spokeswoman said, and findings will be released within the next six months. The restoration project is being overseen by Intech Construction, which gave no comment to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Because construction sites can be so dangerous, OSHA has established strict rules that all construction sites must abide by. If it is determined that the company was in breach of any safety rules, it could face serious fines and even personal injury lawsuits brought by the injured workers.
Alternatively, the injured construction workers could also likely qualify for workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical bills and lost wages stemming from the accident.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, “3 construction workers hurt when building facade drops,” Drew Singer, 7/29/2011.