April Marks Significant Month For Recognizing “Struck-By” Workplace Accidents, National Safety Stand Down Promoted By Center For Disease Control And Prevention

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “struck-by” incidents – those workplace accidents that involve a worker being struck by an object and injured – are the second leading cause of workplace deaths and injuries in the construction industry in the United States. Construction work involves a number of critical hazards for workers and is notorious for being an industry riddled with workplace accidents, injuries, and deaths, due to the fast pace of construction work, extreme temperatures that workers are exposed to, the use of sharp tools and heavy machinery by workers, and heights that may lead to worker falls. In addition, dangerous “struck-by” accidents can harm workers when they are hit with heavy objects or moving machinery, leading to head and bodily injury and, unfortunately, sometimes death. The CDC defines “struck-by” incidents as those that involve vehicles and transportation equipment, falling or flying tools or other objects, and non-transportation vehicles, such as cranes.

To highlight just how dangerous “struck-by” accidents can be to workers in the United States, particularly in the construction industry, the CDC marked the week of April 17-21 as the “National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents” week. This is the fourth year that the CDC has advised employers to take time out to conduct safety “stand-downs”, where usual work is paused and workers and employers focus on how to make the workplace safer. The focus for the 2023 National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents week, per the CDC, was on “highway work zones, vehicular and heavy equipment hazards, dropped object, dump trucks, and vehicle recovery.” The CDC called for contractors, workers, and safety professionals through the U.S. to mark the week with safety focuses in the workplace. The CDC also noted that the construction industry remains a dangerous industry in the United States, with 170 construction worker deaths and 16,600 construction worker injuries occurring in 2019 alone.

Help for Injured Workers in Louisiana – Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

Although construction work is undoubtedly full of workplace hazards and those who work in construction are faced with dangers every day, a workplace accident can truly happen in most any job, and workers in Louisiana in a variety of different industries are injured every day. Fortunately, in Louisiana, most workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured on the job to the point that they are disabled and are unable to work their regular job. If you have been injured on the job in Louisiana, it is important to speak with an experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible to learn about your potential entitlement to Louisiana workers’ compensation benefits. The experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe are here to help fight for, and they offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case. Contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe today and speak to a lawyer in your area for free.

Source:

cdc.gov/niosh/newsroom/feature/prevent-struck-by.html