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If it seems that there is always construction happening at O’Hare or Midway airports, you are not just imagining it. Airports are continuously in need of improvements and expansions to handle the volume of travelers as well as to conform to new safety standards.
Construction is so prevalent at airports that the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Organization in 2010 created an the Airport Construction Advisory Council just to mitigate hazards that are caused by airport construction. In addition to hazards to those using and working in the airports, this continuous construction can cause injuries, even fatalities, for those doing the construction work.
Types Of Construction In Chicago Airports
Airports have become more than just transportation hubs; they are virtually malls in the midst of converging air and vehicle passengers. From interior building remodels and additions to runway and road improvements, there is always some type of construction that is being performed. All this activity involves contractors and workers that are trying to do their jobs in the middle of a bustling airport. Some of the common construction work in airports includes:
- Runway repairs, additions and changes
- Road construction on entering and exiting roadways
- Building construction, new and improvements
- Interior remodels
- Construction on mechanical mechanisms such as escalators and baggage terminals
All these construction projects require workers to not only face the dangers that are normally present during construction work, they are also performing this work while thousands of people come and go from the airport. This stressful and hazardous environment can lead to serious and even fatal injuries while on the job.
Prevalence of Construction Accidents At Airports
Construction work in airports includes many different types of occupations including carpenters, electricians, engineers, machine operators and general laborers. The construction industry in general is a dangerous field of work, with close to 800 workers fatally injured each year and an estimated 4 out of 100 workers having injuries or illnesses on the job each year. The most common construction injury accidents reported, in the order of relevance are:
- Falls
- Overexertion
- Struck by object
- Struck against object
- Caught in object
Construction workers in airports such as O’Hare and Midway are constantly exposed to hazards on the job, facing possible injury. In November 2013, a construction worker at O’Hare fell to his death while working on an electrical project on the roof of the airport. Unfortunately, this is just one of the many injuries and fatalities that can happen while working on construction projects in airports, especially if safety precautions are not in place.
Construction workers can have serious injuries from these types of accidents, leading to lost time from work, medical bills and a loss of quality of life from pain and suffering. While workers are generally covered by worker’s compensation under the Illinois Workers Compensation Act, which can cover many expenses from construction injuries, there may be other avenues to receive compensation for injuries during an airport construction accident.
In some cases there may be instances of negligence, from the construction company or even the airport, that may have contributed to the injury and may be legally relevant in obtaining additional compensation for injuries or wrongful death.
Lawyers For Construction Workers Injured While Working At Airports:A construction accident at an airport entails different areas of the law and different entities than your average workers compensation lawsuit. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyer is proud to have represented skilled trades people injured while working at airports such as Chicago’s O’Hare or Midway. As a law firm committed to your success, we only charge a legal fee when there is a recovery for you. Call us anytime to discuss your airport construction accident case.
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