New data shows that construction fatalities decreased by 10 percent between 2009 and 2010.  In addition, fatalities from construction accidents and injuries have decreased by approximately 40 percent since 2006.

Officials with the Associated General Contractors of America said that the industry has an increased focus on worker safety.  In 2010, there were a total of 751 fatalities in the construction industry.  In 2009, there were 834 construction fatalities.

260 of the construction fatalities were caused by elevated falls.  The second most common cause of fatalities was accidents involving equipment.

“The industry has made safety a top priority in good times and bad, and the new data shows those efforts are helping save lives.  But even one fatality is too many, which is why this data also serves as a somber reminder of the work that still needs to be done,” said the CEO of the AGC.

If you or a loved one has been injured working construction, contact the Raleigh construction accident attorneys of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC at 919-851-3311 to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer today.

About 2 weeks ago, 2 construction workers were injured from falling from a height of around 15 feet at a construction site at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

The construction workers were installing rebar at a project to expand the Plemmons Student Union building and construct a new 10-story residence hall and 3-story annex.  Reports indicate that a concrete structure at the construction site broke at the base causing the men to fall and land on some steel rebar.

The two injured construction workers were taken to Watauga Medical Center in an ambulance and were later transferred to Johnson City Medical Center in a helicopter.  One of the workers was listed as being in fair condition the morning after the accident and the other was released from the hospital.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a construction accident, contact the Raleigh construction accident lawyers of Scudder & Hedrick, PLLC at 919-851-3311 to learn more about how experienced legal representation can help you.

This morning, a construction worker suffered minor injures in an accident in Greensboro.  According to Greensboro fire officials, the accident occurred when the worker was working in a hole at the Wesley Long Hospital parking deck construction work site.

The construction worker was assigned to blow holes into rocks at the site that poles would later be set in.  The worker was using a tool to blow holes in the rock when it malfunctioned.

The tool is said to have fired prematurely and, as a result, injured the worker.  When firefighters arrived at the scene of the accident, the worker was already out of the hole.  The construction worker’s injuries were not specified.

Contact the Raleigh construction accident lawyers of Scudder & Hedrick PLLC at 919-851-3311 to learn more about receiving workers’ compensation if you have been injured in a construction accident.

50-year old Rick Moen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota was seriously injured in a construction accident on Wednesday, December 1st.  The worker was working at a restaurant construction site in Sioux Falls when a wooden panel fell from a crane and hit him.  Moen was standing on a semitrailer helping to guide the panel as the crane lifted it, when it suddenly crashed to the ground and hit him after the initial impact.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be looking into the accident and Moen’s employer, Fiegen Construction Co., to determine what caused the crane to drop the panel.  When paramedics arrived at the scene of the accident, Moen was conscious but could not get up from the trailer.  Buddy Moen, the construction worker’s son, told reporters that his father had to have emergency surgery on his aorta, suffered several broken bones and a had a punctured lung.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of dangerous working conditions at a construction site, contact the Raleigh construction accident attorneys of Scudder & Hedrick PLLC at 919-851-3311 today to talk with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.