Many of the hazards that exist at Illinois construction sites are visible to the naked eye. A Chicago resident may see an uncovered hole, unsecured ladder or other danger that could potentially cause harm to anyone who encountered it. However, visible hazards are not the only problems that individuals may face when they are on construction sites.
Electricity is an invisible danger that causes construction site injuries throughout the country each year. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, electricity can cause a person to suffer internal and external injuries, if it comes into contact with a living body. A person may suffer burns where the electricity touched the skin. Internally, a person may experience damage to his organs, tissue, muscles and nerves. Electricity can cause a person to internally bleed, and it can also cause a person’s muscles to involuntarily contract.
A person may encounter electricity at a construction site in a number of ways. He may touch it when using a defective power tool that is run off of electricity. He may also suffer electric shock if the site’s electrical system malfunctions and there is an electrical accident. Other scenarios may arise that could present serious threats of electric shock to people who work and visit active construction zones.
All of these injuries can be life-threatening if they are severe and often a person may not know that electricity is a present danger when he is moving through a construction site. For these reasons, electricity and the threat of electric shock are significant dangers on construction sites here in Illinois and throughout the rest of the country. Individuals who have suffered construction site injuries due to electrical accidents may have rights to compensation for their damages.
