Physical labor, working with heavy equipment and company vehicles, and using machinery requires safety equipment to avoid accidents that harm and kill employees. Eye protection, sensors, fall restraints, and safety guards are often the only items between the worker and a traumatic injury or fatality.
An employee might still suffer serious injuries when using outdated or broken construction safety equipment that cannot pass inspection or protect the user. According to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), employees in the United States sustain severe injuries daily due to defective products.
Were you or a loved one injured by a defective product? You might be entitled to receive financial compensation to pay for your damages through a product liability lawsuit.
The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC maintain a successful litigating history of filing and resolving product liability cases on behalf of our clients. Call our construction accident lawyers today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) for a free consultation.
Common Personal Protective Equipment in the Construction Industry
Construction workers at a construction site or other job sites need personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent injuries. Here are common safety equipment construction workers use across different body parts.
Head Protection
Many hazards endanger the head and other local body parts on a construction job site, like excessive noise, falling items, exposure to hazardous materials, and more. They use protective safety equipment like hard hats, face shields, ear plugs, safety glasses, prescription safety glasses, and other items to help.
Wear plugs and a hard hat equipped with a secure band to protect yourself against potential hazards, like noise or trauma. Hard hats, plugs, and other PPE can help.
Fall Protection Safety Gear
Construction fall hazards include falling down. Yet, more injuries and accidents occur due to falling objects, especially from sharp objects. These can trigger severe injuries just as often.
To follow construction safety protocols to reduce the risk of deadly falls, employers provide proper safety equipment where workers wear a safety harness or other device. It can prevent falling over or harm from falling objects.
OSHA requires employers to protect employees against these safety risks with construction safety equipment, tools, and worker safety products or they can face fines from OSHA.
Foot Protection
Foot protection PPE can ensure worker safety and prevent accidents on the construction site. These safety products may include steel-toe boots and more.
Respiratory Safety Equipment and Gear
Essential PPE worn by construction workers to protect against harmful dust and respiratory issues includes safety glasses, masks, ventilators, etc., to guard against hazardous liquids, fumes, and smoke.
Hearing Protection
Protective hearing products worn by construction workers can safeguard against hearing damage when exposed to aggravated noise levels. The construction industry mandates issuing proper safety equipment that reduces the potential risks of loud sounds and noise, including hearing loss.
Extremity Protection, including Arms, Legs, Knees, Fingers, and Toes
Extremity and hand protection safety equipment is necessary for construction industry jobs. A lack of PPE and other safety supplies remains the leading cause of amputation in the workplace.
Many different types of necessary PPE and safety supplies include:
- Work gloves
- Knee pads
- Shin guards
- Fireproof clothing, aprons, and shields
To protect construction people, work gloves, knee pads, and other PPE are used to preserve worker safety and mitigate risks.
Collisions
Workers should wear reflective jackets to protect against collisions with people, vehicles, and heavy machinery on-site. Routine maintenance is a crucial priority to ensure safety on the job site.
Toxic Materials Protection
You must wear special PPE equipment like chemical-resistant gloves to protect against potential hazards like a toxic spill. Proper equipment, materials, and waste disposal is crucial in the construction industry to ensure worker safety on the job site.
Essential Safety Guards
Dangerous welding equipment, saws, and power tools should be equipped with safety guards to protect workers from injuries. Employers should perform routine maintenance on all equipment to ensure workers remain safe on the construction site or shop.
Get Help Today If You Were Harmed by Defective Workplace Safety Equipment
Construction site workers need proper safety gear across one or multiple construction sites. If personal protective equipment PPE is lacking or defective, it can cause problems.
Construction workers also require regular training, so it’s worn correctly at construction sites and other jobs and job site locations. If not, falls, chemical leaks and other dangers can arise.
Product Liability Defective Products
Consumers, construction workers, patients, and others can be seriously injured using defective products like heavy equipment, child safety car seats, medicine (defective drugs and medical devices), and other safety equipment.
Many victims have had their product liability claims added to class-action lawsuits holding a product manufacturer legally accountable for damages involving hundreds or thousands of people in various industries.
Typically, a product manufacturing business must carry liability insurance coverage. Usually, the manufacturer will resolve a product liability case by negotiating a settlement amount paid by their insurance company that holds their liability coverage.
Product Liability Cases
Personal injury attorneys specializing in product liability cases build their lawsuits on tort law, holding product manufacturers liable for any damage the product causes consumers. These often include faulty safety equipment and tools to protect at-risk construction workers per OSHA guidelines.
The product liability attorney will build a product liability case showing:
- The product was unreasonably dangerous
- It was defectively designed or manufactured
- The plaintiff suffered damages
The product liability attorney will hire expert witnesses to provide testimony during a deposition or at trial revealing how the defective component made the product dangerous.
The defect might include:
- A design flaw
- A manufacturing mistake
- A marketing mistake
Revealing that the product had a dangerous defect in its design, manufacturing, or marketing could be sufficient to prove negligence.
Compensation for Defective Safety Gear
Several claims are available to you after a faulty PPE accident, including lawsuits (for negligence, product liability, etc.) and even workers’ comp claims.
If you bring a claim, you can seek damages for your healthcare costs (present and future), lost wages, disability, pain and suffering, lost quality of life, death, and much more.
Speak with a qualified construction accident attorney to see what cause of action you should file and what relief may be available.
Product Liability Attorneys
Did defective equipment cause your injuries or harm your loved one? The product defect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC have a successful track record of helping clients with product cases just like yours.
Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) to schedule a free consultation to discuss your product liability case. Our attorneys can hold product manufacturers financially accountable for compromising your well-being.
Our defective product lawyers can legally hold the safety product manufacturer responsible for your losses.
Our legal team accepts all personal injury cases and wrongful death lawsuits on contingency fee agreements. This arrangement ensures you do not pay any upfront fees for our services. If we do not win, you owe us nothing.
