Some New Jersey construction workers may be concerned about the threat posed by workplace accidents and injuries. Because construction projects often deal with partially completed structures, deep trenches and heavy equipment, on-the-job injuries can be severe and life-threatening. They can lead to lifelong disabilities or hinder a worker’s ability to do their job in the future.

Across the country, construction accident fatalities rose 26 percent between 2011 and 2015, despite advances in technology. Some types of fatal injuries rose even more rapidly. For example, workers killed by being caught inside or between equipment and objects rose by 33 percent between the same years.

Fatally injured workers were more likely to be older workers or under the age of 20, and 67 percent were killed by materials falling on them. Other types of fatal accidents, such as those in which construction workers were struck by vehicles or equipment, were also of high concern in a report by the Center for Construction Research and Training. Over 800 American construction workers were killed in this type of accident in the same four-year period. Of those, 51 percent were killed by falling equipment while 18 percent were killed after being hit by a vehicle.

In response, government agencies and trade associations have been working to track workplace injuries and advise the industry on how to improve workplace safety. One series of safety processes developed by the Associated Builders and Contractors could make workplaces 670 percent safer than the average in the construction industry.

Workers who have been injured on the job have a right to receive compensation for their losses. A lawyer can help injured workers to protect their rights and fight for the compensation they deserve.