Construction accidents are terrible disasters that should never take place in safe and secure work environments. Yet construction is one of the deadliest industries in Texas, with hundreds of serious and fatal accidents reported each year. If you or a loved one has been injured, an Austin construction accident lawyer can help you seek justice and compensation.
Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to construction accidents. Proper safety training at Texas construction sites can make all the difference when it comes to preventing life-changing accidents, ensuring worker safety and saving lives.
Texas Construction Accident Statistics
Every year, the construction industry leads the nation in terms of worker fatalities. With many known health and safety hazards, construction continues to be overtly dangerous for the workers involved.
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, the construction industry had the second-highest number of fatalities in 2022, next to the transportation and warehousing industry. In 2022, 141 construction workers in Texas died from work-related injuries. This number represented 24 percent of all fatalities in Texas.
The majority of those deceased were specialty trade contractors (94), while 26 were heavy and civil engineering construction workers. Nationwide, 1,056 workers in the construction and extraction industry died on the job in 2022.
What Are the Most Common Types of Construction Accidents?
Improving the safety of the construction industry starts with understanding the most common risks and hazards. This information can give a construction company the knowledge necessary to focus on common pain points in construction to prevent future such incidents.
The most common accidents in construction include:
- Falls, slips, or trips
- Scaffold accidents
- Falls in trenches
- Electrocutions
- Caught in or between objects or equipment
- Struck-by falling objects
- Crane collapses
- Transportation accidents
- Structural collapses
- Power tool accidents
- Toxic exposure
Proper safety training can prevent all of these serious accidents. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal safety standards that are violated in construction most often deal with fall protection equipment and training, ladders, scaffolding, and eye and face protection.
Legal Requirements for Safety Training in Construction
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is the federal law requiring private sector employers to provide workplaces that are free of hazards and comply with OSHA standards. Compliance with these regulations can prevent workplace tragedies from occurring by providing construction workers with safe and secure environments.
In Texas, all construction workers must be given adequate safety training under both state and federal regulations. According to 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1926.21, “programs for the education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance and prevention of unsafe conditions in employments covered by the act” must be established.
This federal law requires employers to instruct employees in the construction industry on how to recognize and avoid unsafe conditions that apply to their work environments. The specific requirements under this law depend on the worker’s job details, such as workers who are required to handle harmful substances vs. those working from heights.
Construction Worker Training Programs Available in Texas
OSHA has rules in place for the proper training of workers in the construction industry across the nation. “Focus Four Training,” for example, gives key insights into how to prevent the four most common causes of construction worker deaths: falls, caught-in or -between, struck-by, and electrocution accidents.
The Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) in Texas also offers safety training resources for the construction industry. There are many training programs available for specific jobs and needs, such as slip and fall prevention tips, asbestos safety videos and scaffold safety training. The DWC also offers 10-hour and 30-hour OSHA construction training courses.
How Safety Training Can Reduce Accidents and Injuries in Construction
Proper safety training can make construction workers aware of the known hazards that exist within their work environments. It spreads education and knowledge regarding common occupational injury and illness risks, enabling workers to identify, detect and avoid these risks.
Examples include:
- Falls: the leading cause of construction deaths can be avoided with proper instruction on how to use fall arrest systems and personal fall protection equipment, such as harnesses. Proper ladder and scaffold training can also prevent deadly falls in construction.
- Equipment injuries: training programs and instruction on how to properly operate, handle, and work near or around industrial equipment and heavy machinery – such as properly inspecting equipment before use and obeying warning signs – can prevent related disasters.
- Toxic exposure: being taught how to properly handle, use and store dangerous or toxic materials and substances (e.g., flammable gases, asbestos, harsh chemicals) can prevent injuries and illnesses associated with toxic exposure, including chemical burns and cancers.
Safety training is a critical tool that equips construction workers with the knowledge to identify safety hazards, take precautions and protective measures, and respond effectively in emergencies. Without adequate safety training, none of this is possible.
Lack of Safety Training Leads to Traumatic Accidents
Safety training should have a central role in the construction industry and all job sites in Texas. Comprehensive safety training must be a priority to make construction sites safer for everyone.
Effective safety training gives workers actionable knowledge, promotes a workplace culture of care and safety, and speaks to the heart of construction workers so that the importance of proper worksite safety is tangible.
Unfortunately, many construction sites fall short of these goals. Construction companies, site managers and supervisors may not provide proper safety training – especially if they cut corners to save time or money.
This can create a work environment that puts construction workers at undue risk of harm. A dangerous lack of worker safety training can dramatically increase the odds of devastating accidents, injuries and deaths.
Worker Rights After a Preventable Construction Accident
Accidents in construction can happen in an instant and change a victim’s life forever. If an investigation finds that a construction worker’s accident could have been avoided had the worker received proper safety training, the injured victim or the victim’s family may have the right to file a lawsuit in pursuit of justice and financial compensation.
Inadequate safety training is an example of employer negligence, or the failure to use proper care to ensure the safety of construction workers. Evidence of lapses in safety training can establish an employer’s liability, or legal responsibility, for a victim’s injuries and related losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. If you wish to discuss a specific construction site accident with a knowledgeable Austin personal injury attorney in Texas, contact FVF Law Firm for a no-cost and no-pressure consultation. We have over 100 years of combined legal experience. Call (512) 640-2146 today.
