A construction worker was recently injured while working on a four-story building project at Edward Hospital in Naperville. According to Naperville Fire Department Bureau Chief Kevin Lyne, the man was hurt while standing on the roof of the hospital’s West Building after construction material fell on him. Although the man did not fall to the ground below, firefighters were reportedly summoned to rescue him from the building’s roof. Emergency responders purportedly called a Specialized Rescue Response Team to the scene of the incident in order to bring the injured man down. Lyne said rescue crews took more than half an hour to lower the construction worker to the ground using a crane. Once on the ground, the worker was reportedly taken inside of the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Hospital operations were purportedly not affected and construction resumed after the injured worker was rescued.
Thousands of construction and other workers throughout the United States are injured or killed in workplace accidents every year. According to the nation’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the number one cause of workplace deaths throughout the country. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created OSHA in an effort to protect construction, industrial, and other employees from unsafe conditions at work. Under the Act, employers must provide workers with a reasonably safe working environment, information regarding possible workplace safety hazards, safety training, and other safety-related requirements. Additionally, employers must comply with all federal health and safety regulations. In general, when a serious workplace injury occurs in Illinois and elsewhere OSHA will investigate whether an employer complied with federal safety requirements.
Normally, injuries sustained at an Illinois workplace are subject to state workers’ compensation laws. Sometimes, however, a third party such as a general contractor or equipment manufacturer may be held responsible for failing to adhere to state or federal safety requirements. For example, the company that manufactured a dangerous or defective piece of construction machinery may be held liable for any worker injury that resulted during use of the product. Similarly, a general contractor at a building site such as the hospital in this case has a duty to warn construction employees about potential safety hazards. If you or someone you love was harmed in a construction or other workplace accident, you are advised to contact a quality attorney to discuss your options for financial recovery.
If you were hurt in an accident at work, please give the knowledgeable lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. a call at (312) 924-7575. Our experienced Chicago area construction accident attorneys are available 24 hours per day, seven days per week to answer your questions and help you file your workplace accident or other personal injury case. For a free consultation with a hardworking lawyer, do not hesitate to contact Abels & Annes, P.C. through the law firm’s website.
More Blogs:
Red Light Camera Battle Rages in Illinois and Across Nation, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, February 27, 2013
Proposed Federal Law Would Require Data Recorders in All New Vehicles Sold in Illinois and Nationwide, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, February 21, 2013
Additional Resources:
Construction worker rescued in Naperville, by Melissa Jenco, Chicago Tribune