Demolition Work Hazards and Injuries

The dangers of construction work — excavating ground for foundations, building new structures, adding and repairing roofs — is relatively well-known in Maryland. To be sure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) routinely cites the construction industry as one of the most hazardous given the high rate of serious injuries and deaths affecting employees. Yet there is a flip side to construction work, too: demolition. According to OSHA, demolition work might be thought of as “construction in reverse,” and it actually comes with additional hazards to those associated with construction work.

When a Maryland demolition worker gets hurt on the job, it is critical to find out about eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits. In the meantime, our Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys can tell you more about demolition dangers and other key information about demolition work.

What is Demolition Work? 

You may have a general understanding of what construction work entails, but what about demolition work? According to OSHA, demolition refers to “the dismantling, razing, destroying, or wrecking of any building or structure of any part thereof.”

It involves injury risks that are commonly associated with construction work, such as fall hazards from heights, slip and fall risks, struck-by injury hazards, and electrical injury hazards. At the same time, OSHA explains that demolition work actually tends to be more dangerous than general construction work because of certain “unknown factors” that tend to be linked to demolition.

Risks of Injury in Demolition Jobs 

What are those “unknown factors” that pose additional injury risks in demolition jobs in comparison with construction work? OSHA identifies the following:

• Structural or design changes that are not evident because they occurred during construction;
• Modifications from the original design of the structure, including both approved and unapproved modifications;
• Hazardous materials that are hidden within the structure itself, like asbestos, lead, silica, and toxic chemicals;
• Potential weakness of existing construction materials, especially post-tensioned concrete; and
• Injury risks linked to the methods of demolition employed on the specific site.

Common Demolition Injuries 

Given the wide range of injury risks that exist on demolition sites, injuries can also vary. Some common injuries include but are not limited to:

• Traumatic brain injuries;
• Spinal cord injuries;
• Crush injuries;
• Traumatic amputations;
• Lacerations;
• Broken bones;
• Electrocutions;
• Organ damage; and
• Occupational disease injuries linked to hazardous exposures.

There are specific standards from OSHA that are designed to prevent injuries, including proper working training, engineering studies or assessments of sites, utility inspections, health hazard assessments, safety tools, and the use of PPE. However, injuries continue to occur, and workers can sustain severe and life-threatening injuries.

Contact a Maryland Construction Injury and Workers’ Compensation Attorney 

Were you injured while performing demolition work in Maryland? Or did your spouse or parent suffer fatal injuries in a demolition accident? Demolition work is extremely dangerous, and injuries are somewhat common. Yet it is important to know that these injuries are often compensable through the Maryland workers’ compensation system. An experienced Maryland construction injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can begin working with you today on a workers’ compensation claim. Contact our firm to learn more about the services we provide to injured employees and their families in Maryland.

Source:

osha.gov/demolition