Construction Accidents’ Category
Three Workers Injured in Construction Accident in Galveston County
Monday, March 21st, 2011
Three workers have been confirmed injured in a construction accident that took place at Santa Fe High School in Galveston County last week. The accident involved a partial construction collapse, and one of the workers suffered life-threatening injuries.
The workers were at the site of an under construction auditorium at the high school. The accident occurred on Friday morning. The three workers suffered a 50-foot fall when the structure they were on collapsed, bringing them down with it. One worker was partially pinned under a metal beam, and suffered critical injuries. He was airlifted to the Memorial Hermann Hospital, and continues...
Texas Construction Company Penalized for Trench Collapse Hazards
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
A LaPorte-based company has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after inspectors found that the company had failed to protect workers from excavation hazards. OSHA has proposed penalties totaling up to more than $81,000 for Horseshoe Construction.
OSHA began an investigation last month, and found that employees of the company had exposed workers to serious trench collapse hazards. The workers had been working in trenches that had not been shored to prevent a collapse. These failures to prevent trench collapses fortunately did not result in any injuries.
Trench collapses are some of the deadliest accidents on a construction...
OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Workplace Safety Violations
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled its top 10 most cited safety violations in the American workplace recently. The results were revealed at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo in San Diego California.
There weren't too many surprises on the list for Houston work injury lawyers. As expected, there were plenty of violations in the construction industry, where safety continues to be a huge concern. This is one of the deadliest work places in America, and accounts for one out of every three workplace fatalities in the country.
The list also shows that we continue...
OSHA Releases New Standards for Crane Safety
Thursday, August 12th, 2010
In response to growing concerns over crane safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week released new crane and derrick safety standards. The standards have been widely welcomed by Houston construction accident lawyers.
Some of the most important provisions in the new standards include a requirement that crane operators be certified to use the crane. Current requirements don't call for such certification. Crane operators will be given about four years to obtain the certification.
It's not just crane operators who will be under increased scrutiny under the new standards. Other workers, who are part of the...
Texas Construction Worker Awarded $4.3 Million in Trench Collapse
Friday, August 6th, 2010
A Texas construction worker, who was seriously injured in a trench collapse accident in El Paso in 2006, has been awarded $4.3 million in damages.
The 50-year-old worker had been working for a sub contractor for Nowark Construction. On the day of the accident, he was working in a sewer line. As he was placing a line in the 7-foot deep trench, the trench collapsed, and the worker was pinned under a 1,500 pound plate. He sustained serious injuries, including a ruptured spleen and pancreas, multiple fractures, a collapsed lung, shoulder impingement, and disk fractures. He...
Construction Worker Killed in Texas Accident
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Texas’ dismal record in construction safety was clear to see last week when a worker was killed in a fall accident in Cleburne. The worker was working at a water tower construction project about 25 miles south of Fort Worth, when he fell into a three-foot deep concrete hole. He fell headfirst, and sustained fatal injuries. He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. The man was a contract worker, and at the time of his death, was working for Phoenix Fabricators and Erectors.
Every year, it is estimated that out of every three...
Construction Safety Summit Scheduled for April 14 in Houston
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
There isn't enough you could do to enhance construction safety to satisfy any Houston work accident lawyer, especially not this one. In years of experience as a Houston work accident attorney, I have represented victims of serious construction accidents in the Houston area and around Texas. That is why it was very encouraging for me to note that the city of Houston will play host to a National Action Summit for Latino Health and Safety. The summit will be held on April 14 and 15, and will be sponsored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and...
Worker Awarded $171,762 In Leg Injuries Sustained during Fall from Ladder
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
A Texas worker who suffered leg fractures and other injuries when he fell from a defective ladder, has been awarded a verdict of $171,762.
The worker Julian Gallegos, worked for a tree cutting service, Big Bird Tree Cutting Service Inc. In 2006, Gallegos was performing some welding activities about 14 feet off the ground. Gallegos claims that the ladder he was standing on, broke, causing him to lose his balance and fall. During the fall, his left ankle caught between the rungs of the ladder. He suffered fractures in his tibia and fibula.
Gallegos required three surgeries, and was unable to...
Construction Worker Killed in Brazoria County Sewer Line Accident
Friday, March 19th, 2010
Investigations are continuing into the death of a construction worker inside a sewer line in Lake Jackson in Brazoria County.
The accident occurred last month. The 23-year-old worker had crawled into an unused sewer line where he was found dead later. Initial investigations suggest that the man was overpowered by gas fumes, lost consciousness and died.
The man and a few other workers were part of a construction project to shift utility lines away from the highway. The contract had been awarded by the city of Lake Jackson. When the accident occurred, the deceased and his workers had been...
Galveston County Scaffolding Accident Leaves Two Seriously Injured
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
It never fails to shock injury lawyers in Houston that construction companies place workers at a constant risk of preventable injuries. The construction industry has an unenviable safety reputation. One out of every three deaths in the workplace occurs in the construction industry.
Two workers in Galveston County were lucky to escape with injuries when the scaffolding they were working on, collapsed. The two workers were engaged in some renovation work at a shopping center on FM 517. The scaffolding was apparently weakly constructed and extremely unstable. It shouldn't come as a surprise to any Houston work...
