St. Louis Legal Blog

Construction workers in Missouri and nationwide face hazardous job conditions each day. However, a new report by the Associated Builders and Contractors, or ABC, says that following the organization's safety program can help construction companies become up to 670 percent safer than companies that don't follow the program.

ABC's program is called the Safety Performance Evaluation Process, or STEP. It uses leading indicators and proactive safety measures to make job sites safer for workers. These leading indicators include programs such as new-hire orientations, site-specific safety orientations, substance abuse programs, toolbox talks and near-miss/near-hit analysis. The organization also pushes companies to create on-site safety committees and include C-Suite engagement in their safety programs. ABC says that companies following STEP can cut their reportable safety incidents by up to 85 percent.

At this very moment, you could easily google "motorcycle accident helmet camera" and find a plethora of videos that show a first-person view of a motorcyclist suffering an accident. While this is both horrifying and bizarre that such a library of accidents is possible to search, the point of this introduction isn't to discuss the societal merits of it all. Instead, it is to point out the incredible value helmet cameras have for motorcyclists in today's day and age.

Motorcyclists have very little safety equipment at their disposal. They have a helmet, which is their primary piece of equipment to protect them in case of an accident -- but after that, it's limited. Gloves and a padded leather jacket are about all that's left in terms of safety equipment for a motorcyclist. Or at least, that's the way it has been for many years.

Nursing can be a rewarding but stressful profession. For many of these professionals, the hours are long and the demands great. In fact, many patients do not realize a danger many nurses face every day: physically handling patients. That is, lifting and moving them. The risk is so great that nursing ranks right up there among the most dangerous jobs for musculoskeletal health.

In ideal situations, equipment would be used to help move patients. It helps them retain more dignity, prevents awkwardness and reduces the likelihood of accidents such as being dropped. However, the reality is in that in many cases, nurses are the ones who shoulder the burden of lifting, and their bodies feel the strain. Often, they must seek treatment and miss work.

If accidents at construction sites are the first thing to come to your mind when you think of workplace injuries, there is good reason. Those who work in the construction industry face the most dangers and risks on the job than do employees in any other industry.

Although other sectors have higher rates of deaths (loggers and fishers) or similar rates of injuries (nurses), construction has the highest in both areas. As a construction worker, you need to know common sources of hazards, how to avoid them and what to do in the event of injury.