If you are a South Florida resident, particularly of Miami, you are well aware of the city’s on-going, and seemingly never-ending, construction. In fact, construction all over the United States has been booming for the past several years, and 2017 is no exception. While cities like New York and Chicago have maintained their long-standing reputation as construction capitals, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, are just recently joining the ranks. Although the increase in construction across the U.S. means more jobs and well-developed cityscapes, unfortunately it also means a higher chance of construction-related accidents and injuries.
Common construction-related accidents involve falls, being struck by an object, electrocutions, and being caught in between equipment. The construction industry experienced its biggest loss in 2015 as fatal construction injuries rose by 2 % since 2008. The number continues to rise each year.
Earlier this year, in May, a construction worker was hospitalized after falling three to four floors down a building shaft in Downtown Miami. Before that, one construction worker was killed and another injured after being hit by a Metromover car while on the job. Then, on June 1, three construction workers in northwest Miami-Dade were seriously injured after two crane lifts fell. The specific cause of injury in all three incidents was undetermined.