Machine Malfunctions in Construction Work

A construction site is a particularly hazardous work environment, if for the use of heavy and personal machinery alone. With bulldozers, cranes, power saws, and drills as just a few of the common sights in construction work, injuries involved in these accidents can easily prove catastrophic. Although, regularly, it takes a decent amount of force to break a bone, these machines are often capable of shattering a bone or crushing a limb.

There are some major types of equipment malfunction that can occur in a construction zone. Perhaps the most massive and most dangerous type of malfunction is a crane collapse. These machines can be comparable to large buildings, as moving large building materials requires equally sizable machines to complete the task. In order to build or repair a building such as a skyscraper or a large overpass bridge, a huge crane can be used. However, if something goes wrong, these massive machines can prove deadly.

Equally dangerous in scale, scaffolding collapses can result in falls from great heights, which may even occur on the side of a skyscraper or similarly tall building. Not only can workers be injured by the fall itself, but in the process of the collapse, they may also be struck by the materials they were working with, such as large panes of glass or large pieces of stone.

In addition to these large-scale disasters, smaller tools and machines are also prone to malfunctioning. A poorly maintained power tool can cause severe injury to a person, leading to the loss of digits, excessive blood loss, and irreparable damage to the eyes. These injuries can easily cause a worker to lose his or her ability to continue working on a site, endangering his or her career in construction.

To learn more about construction injuries caused by faulty equipment, contact a workers’ compensation attorney.