August 28, 2020 How to Handle a Heavy Machinery Injury

A look at how to seek help after a heavy machinery injury.

Working in the field of constructions often implies the handling of heavy machinery for the work to be undergone. However, if the responsible person is not given proper training and instruction beforehand, the ultimate consequence can be the severe injury of one to multiple co-workers or, even worse, innocent bystanders.

Prevention is always the best method to deal with a situation such as this one, but in certain cases, an injury is unavoidable.

Who exactly is to blame for the accident that you or multiple people have suffered, and what are the steps that you should take once you have figured out the logistic details of the event? The answers lie below.

Preventive Precautions

Specialized instruction:

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has a clearly laid out activity sheet for safe and secure heavy construction equipment operation.

Heavy machinery such as cranes, forklifts, or industrial trucks, need to be utilized by following a very specific set of safety precautions.

These can vary from machine to machine, as the industrial and technical purpose can differ significantly, and specialized training will most likely be involved for every type of heavy machinery that you would have to operate with.

General protective equipment:

However, as a rule of thumb, no construction worker should ever engage in the use of such machinery without first donning all the necessary protective equipment.

These include:

• A hard-hat for any possible overhead blunt force trauma;
• Eye protection with side shields in case of potential contact with a substance that could attack the cornea;
• Respiratory protection if the job involves the extraction or manufacturing of harmful and carcinogen minerals, such as asbestos;
• Protective footwear that closely follows extensive regulations imposed by OSHA and ANSI

Identifying the Issue

Regarding Accountability:

With all that being said, if the injury in question was caused by your mishandling of the heavy machinery, it might not actually be your fault.

It is the duty and obligation of an employer to provide you with the aforementioned tools for you to undergo your professional activity in a safe and risk-free environment. If they fail to do so, they are the direct causer of the accident that has taken place.

Moreover, an untrained construction worker should never be allowed to operate the machinery of any kind, and before they are allowed to do just that, at least one other person has to give their approval – the on-site supervisor.

Taking Action:

Due to the absence of preventive foresight, the worker themselves, people around the construction site, or in some niche cases, civilians passing through the construction area – they all become implicit collateral victims to rampant professional negligence. Heavy machinery operation is not something to be taken lightly.

From a legal standpoint, this type of injury qualifies under personal injury law. Because of this factor, and regardless of your exact status as an injured party in this situation, you might be entitled to receive compensation for the physical and emotional trauma that you have suffered.

A personal injury law firm, such as pintas.com, is always ready and willing to hear you out and provide you with essential counsel and expertise in order for you to move forward in the process of obtaining justice, evaluating the specifics of your case in the process. Such an evaluation is, thankfully, free of charge.

Seeking Further Help

Beyond the vital legal advice provided by your chosen attorney, you should also consider reaching out to other sources of help following this likely traumatic event.

Discuss the accident with a specialist in injury-related psychological trauma, so as to make sure that you have properly managed to move on from the accident.

Finally, consider taking your professional activity elsewhere, so that any future interactions with heavy machinery proceed according to respected regulations.

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