Atlanta Electrocution Accident Lawyers
It’s not just electricians and utility workers who run the risk of getting electrocuted on the job. Construction workers in every trade are vulnerable to harmful or fatal electric shocks in all phases of construction projects. In fact, electricians and other licensed professionals are specially trained in handling electricity and are provided with specialized safety gear and equipment. The average laborer on a construction site might have little or no training in working on or near electrical equipment and might not know what special precautions to take.
Electrocution accidents are not rare events; they are the third-leading cause of death among construction workers. Employers are required to provide a safe workplace for their employees and independent contractors, and third parties who wire buildings or install electrical equipment are obligated to perform their jobs with skill and care. Workers who are injured on the job, or the families of those killed in electrocution accidents, need to receive adequate compensation from the proper source. In some cases, that source is Georgia workers’ compensation, but in other instances, a civil lawsuit is more appropriate. In those situations, the Atlanta construction accident attorneys at Shiver Hamilton Campbell can help. Our personal injury and wrongful death lawyers are experienced in identifying the parties responsible for an injury, taking them to court, and recovering significant compensation for workers and their families.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in an Atlanta construction site electrocution accident, call Shiver Hamilton Campbell at 404-593-0020 to speak with a dedicated Atlanta electrocution accident lawyer.
Electrocution Accidents Cause Serious Injury and Death
The word electrocution was originally created to mean executing someone through electricity. Today, being electrocuted can mean receiving an injury via electric shock, even if it isn’t fatal. Nonfatal electrocution accidents on construction sites can still result in catastrophic or permanent injuries and disabilities, including:
- Heart attack
- Permanent heart damage
- Brain damage
- Nerve damage
- Lung failure
- Severe burns
Additionally, the risk of death from electrocution remains high and accounts for more than seven percent of construction worker deaths annually.
Causes of Electrocution on Atlanta Construction Sites
General contractors or property owners on a construction site, or third-party contractors brought in for electrical wiring or power generation, must take care to put up appropriate signage, warnings and barricades around live electrical equipment. They should also lockout/tagout electrical equipment and make sure electrical hazards aren’t left behind unguarded or in an unreasonably dangerous manner. Some of the many ways workers can get electrocuted on the job include:
- Overloaded power cords and power sources
- Extension cords exposed to water or carelessly laid where they can get cut or run over
- Coming into contact with ungrounded or uninsulated exposed wiring
- Shocks from electrical equipment that is either ungrounded or not equipped with ground-fault protection. In addition to the danger of electrocution, shocked workers can fall from heights or drop heavy tools and equipment from a scaffold onto the heads of construction workers on lower levels.
- Making contact with overhead power lines from a bucket crane or scaffold, or hitting underground power lines during trenching and excavation activities. Electrocution can occur from coming in direct physical contact with electricity or by working on metal equipment or surfaces that make contact with a live wire.
- Hitting electrical wires when drilling into walls that are not properly marked to indicate where the wiring is located.
- Operating electrical equipment in the vicinity of flammable liquids, gas, vapor or dust
Construction Workers Should Not Get Electrocuted
When those in charge of construction site operations are doing their job right, construction workers don’t get electrocuted. Managing the worksite safely includes ensuring that only qualified electricians are permitted to work on energized electrical systems, putting up barricades or appropriate signage around high voltage lines, ensuring low voltage electrical wires are fully insulated and grounded, keeping environments free of flammable liquids, gas and vapors where electrical equipment is being used, and following OSHA safety standards regarding lockout/tagout procedures for control panels and fuse boxes. Failure to take these simple yet vital steps is negligent behavior that can result in liability to an injured worker.
Help Is Available From An Atlanta Electrocution Accident Lawyer
After an electrocution accident, the Atlanta construction accident attorneys at Shiver Hamilton Campbell will work to identify the responsible party or parties and hold them accountable for failing to install, maintain or operate electrical equipment in a safe manner. If you have been injured in an electrocution accident on a metro Atlanta construction site, or if you lost a family member to a fatal electrocution construction accident, call Shiver Hamilton Campbell at 404-593-0020 for immediate assistance. We take on cases involving the most serious catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, and we fight to secure significant compensation for our clients who were hurt because of another’s negligence or wrongful conduct.
