Nowadays the field of construction is hiring a considerable number of employees. People employed in these companies deals with every kind of work hence they risk getting damaged or even risking their lives. In order to reduce the risks that may lead to the threat of harming people lives, there are a lot of precautions to take care of.

Firstly, the construction companies carry a significant risk of injuries for the workers, so identifying them reduces the chances of injuries. Construction sites are dangerous places. The work is mostly physical and requires the use of powerful machines, climbing to great heights or being on the roadside where accidents may occur.

Unfortunately, because of the inherent nature of the work, construction workers are an open target to the job injuries. Being a construction worker injured at work means you are dealing with serious medical problems, ongoing pain and financial worries due to missed work and medical bills. And it’s important to understand the laws of protection.

• Types of injuries in the construction sites

There are many different risks that the construction workers can face at their job. The top causes identified in the construction sites are:

• - Trench collapse – When a trench collapses, a worker’s air supply can be cut off, and the worker can be buried alive or suffer crushing injuries. A building that’s being demolished or that’s under construction can suddenly or unexpectedly collapse, killing or seriously injuring those inside. Even if the cause of the accident can’t be directly determined, a negligence legal theory of "res ipsa loquitur" may apply and you can still be compensated without proving who was negligent or in what way.
• - Collapsed scaffolding – This temporary, elevated workspace allows workers to be where they need to be, and sometimes that means at potentially dangerous heights. Since even lower scaffolds can present a risk when they collapse, it’s absolutely essential to ensure all scaffolds are safe, compliant, used properly and are in good working order.

One of the problems associated with scaffolding collapse is when planks or support footing gives way. In many cases, this happens when the planks are overloaded with workers or materials. If planks or footing boards give way, workers on the scaffold and below can become seriously injured in the subsequent collapse. The worker can plunge to his death or sustain serious injuries so there must be strict rules to ensure the safety of the workers.

- Falling from heights – Of all construction accidents, falls are the leading cause of serious injuries and fatalities. The most common factors associated with FFH are risky activities, individual characteristics, site conditions, organizational characteristics, agents (scaffolds/ladders) and weather conditions. A worker may fall from a building, scaffolding or piece of machinery to the ground below, cranes, roofs, ladders, tripping on wires, and other such perils. Workers can also fall into holes or ditches on construction sites. It is critical to make the environment safe and improve the engineering facilities and the methods to prevent the falling.

• - Electric shock and or arc flash/blast – Electrocution is an obvious danger faced by anyone working on or living near electrical equipment and it is clearly important to understand shock hazards and wear appropriate protection. An arc fault— occurs when the insulation or air separation between high voltage conductors is compromised. Under these conditions, a plasma arc—an “arc flash”—may form between the conductors, unleashing a potentially explosive release of thermal energy. Working with generators, power tools, machinery and electrical wiring, all put construction workers at risk of suffering electrical burns.
• - Repetitive motion injuries –Due to the hard physical labor required for construction work, employees in this industry often have injuries related to overexertion, including:
• *Repetitive motion injuries
• *Muscle and joint damage due to overuse.
• *Heat stress in hot conditions that can lead to brain, heart, or kidney damage or death
• *Hypothermia or frostbite resulting in the loss of fingers, toes, and parts of the face in cold climates.

When the body is repeatedly asked to do the same things, again and again, the muscles and soft tissues can become worn and damaged, limiting mobility and causing pain.

• - Fire and explosions –Construction sites often contain hazardous conditions such as exposed wiring, leaking pipes, and flammable chemicals that could lead to fires and explosions. Less common than some other types of accidents, these can, however, be fatal or result in serious injuries.

Sometimes construction workers can suffer an injury as a result of traffic accidents, malfunctioning tools or equipment, a ladder’s collapse or errors made by other workers and accidents made with tools and machinery. Workers who experience these accidents or other sustain various serious injuries like :

• Head injury and/or brain injury.
• Broken bones
• Eye injury, including vision impairment or blindness
• Electrocution
• Knee and ankle injury
• Neck, shoulder or back injury
• Spinal cord injury, including damage that can cause paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Illnesses caused by toxic chemical exposure

Options for injured construction workers

Sustaining an injury on the construction sites, means you need to pay your medical bills, taking a time off of work or maybe demanding a less physically job and depending on the result of the injury even stop working permanently. The costs of medical bills and lost income can cause financial disaster. The workers that suffer injuries in the construction sites have two options to obtain compensation:

• Workers compensation benefits

Workers compensation is an insurance that employers need to buy for their workers to cover the sustained injuries which may have occurred during the job or anywhere else. As long as you are not violating the company policy or being intoxicated, this includes even when your mistakes caused the injury in your workplace and it isn’t a negligence of the employer.

The compensation provides the payment of your medical bills, lost wages and also depending on your condition if you are temporary or permanently disabled. If your injury doesn’t let you work at all you are eligible for total disability benefit. If you are switching for a lower paying job due to the restricted duty, you take partial disability benefits. Workers compensation is the only way to take action against your employer.

• Third-Party Lawsuit Claims

Third-Party Lawsuit claims to let you obtain compensation payment for pain and suffering if someone other than your employer did something that led to your construction accident. To successfully claim the third- part lawsuit you have to show the negligence or the defect machine that was used intended.

• Attorneys help the injured construction workers

If someone is hurt during work in a construction job, a personal injury lawyer such as www.sklaw.com/personal-injury/new-jersey/ can provide legal representation helping you :

• -Determine whether to file a workers’ compensation or third-party liability claim (or both).
• -Deal with the worker's compensation insurer if the bills aren’t being paid, if there is a dispute over medical coverage or if the insurer tried to force you back to work too early.
• -Gather evidence to prove your eligibility for compensation. Appeal a workers’ compensation claim denial.
• -File a third-party lawsuit in court and/or negotiate a settlement with a responsible third party.

Being injured it’s not a good situation handled without being helped by someone that has the right knowledge to protect your interests. So the best way is being represented by an attorney who can protect your legal right to compensation.