California Construction Site Injury Lawyer

Thousands of construction workers are injured or killed in construction site accidents each year. Construction companies must inspect each site with safety engineers and provide safety programs, but unfortunately accidents still occur due to the inadequacy of these provisions.

When a construction site accident occurs, the owners, architects, insurance companies and manufacturers of equipment can be held responsible for inadequate safety provisions.

Generally, when a worker is injured on a construction site, the worker is limited to collecting worker's compensation benefits from his employer which DO NOT INCLUDE PAIN AND SUFFERING, and he cannot sue his employer for negligence. See Work Place Injuries.

HOWEVER, the general contractor or property owner that hired the worker's employer, or another sub-contractor (or its employees) may have done something to create a dangerous work place. When someone other than the worker's employer is negligent and creates a danger at a construction site, they can be sued for money damages, separate and apart from the worker's compensation benefits obtained directly from the employer. THIS IS IMPORTANT, especially for accidents that result in very serious and catastrophic personal injuries, because a worker does not get any money for his pain and suffering through the worker's compensation system.

For instance, when a general contractor or property owner either makes the construction site unsafe, or promises to do something to make the construction site safe, but fails to do what it promised, the general contractor may be responsible for the injuries caused to the worker. Similarly, when a sub-contractor's employees do something to create the danger, they may be responsible for the injuries caused by the danger. The general contractor and all subcontractors are required to provide a reasonably safe site, to warn of hazards inherent in the site and work, to hire careful employees, to coordinate job safety and to supervise compliance with safety specifications. A general contractor or property owner can also be responsible if they provide unsafe equipment to the worker.

All workplaces, including Construction Sites, are regulated by Cal-OSHA regulations. These are rules and laws many of which apply to work place safety. They do not apply only to an employer. If a contractor or property owner, other than the worker's direct employer, violates these regulations, the injured worker may be able to collect money from the contractor or property owner.

It is also possible that a construction site injury can be the result of a dangerous and defective product or piece of equipment. If this is the case, a claim for money damages may be made against the manufacturer or distributor of the product. Manufacturers of construction equipment are responsible designing and maintaining safe products. Defective or dangerous products may include the following: scaffolding, cranes, power tools, derricks, hoists, conveyors, woodworking tools, ladders, winches, trucks, graters, scrapers, tractors, bulldozers, forklifts, back hoes, heavy equipment, boilers, pressure vessels, gas detectors and other types of construction equipment. For more information, see Product Liability.

Los Angeles construction site injury lawyers 1-800-ALAWPRO.