If you are a Kansas City construction worker, there is some good news on your horizon. Thanks to concentrated efforts by industry insiders to prevent construction falls, this particular hazard is actually trending down on a national level.
In fact, an entire week in September is dedicated as “National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls” in conjunction with Construction Safety Week.
There are three primary steps to take to prevent falls from heights on construction sites. They are:
- Plan ahead so the job is done safely
- Provide workers with the right equipment
- Train workers to use their equipment safely
Despite this safety awareness campaign, falls unfortunately are still the number one cause of fatal accidents on construction sites. A full third of all deaths that occur on construction sites of all types are due to falls from height.
If you work on a construction site, this should be of concern to you. A fall is not necessarily the fault of the one who actually falls. They could be knocked off a scaffold or piece of equipment or the structure itself by a coworker or some machinery. Someone else could have created the unsafe conditions that caused the worker to fall to their death.
If you lost a loved one to a fall from height on a construction site or you yourself were injured in an on-the-job fall, learning about your rights to seek compensation is prudent. You can file a workers’ compensation claim in order to access benefits. Should your claim be denied, you may need to seek legal guidance in order to prevail on any appeal that you file.