Many people in San Diego may choose to forgo the confines of a typical office setting when choosing their career paths and instead opt for a job that allows them to work in a wide range of environments. The construction industry offers this, which is no doubt why its popularity amongst those entering the workforce has grown in recent years (indeed, information shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that as of 2016, 10.3 million American adults worked in construction). Yet for all the freedom that the construction industry offers, it remains one of the more dangerous career paths.
The risks facing construction workers are often much greater than those dealt with by working professionals in other industries due to the unique nature of construction work itself. When worksite accidents involving construction workers do occur, they often prove to be fatal. Enough work-related fatalities have been reported in the industry for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to identify their most common causes. Dubbed “the Fata Four,” these include:
All told, these factors contribute to almost 60% percent of construction-related deaths annually.
If and when a worker dies while on the job, some may think that workers’ compensation benefits do not apply to their case (as such benefits are typically meant to cover treatment and recuperative expenses). However, the family of one killed in a construction accident is indeed entitled to a death benefit. That typically includes a portion of the deceased worker’s annual salary paid out to them over a predetermined period of time.
