Accidents in New Mexico Construction Zones

Construction Accidents

There is more to protecting a construction zone than simply putting up warning signs and hoping for the best. It is the sobering responsibility of every construction zone administrator in New Mexico not just to adequately disclose safety hazards, but to actively protect individuals from harm on or around those sites. When this doesn’t happen, people get hurt. If you are a victim of a construction zone accident, we want to help you win compensation for your recovery.

All too often, one factor seems to override safety concerns on a construction site: deadlines. Management decisions which put productivity before protection often result in accidents—including those which result in injury or death. This is especially disturbing as construction professionals put themselves in harm’s way, working in and through a number unsafe conditions including:

  • Excessive on-the-job fatigue

  • Lack of proper sanitation

  • Lack of proper signage

  • Construction vehicles or equipment in harm’s way

  • Unsafe design leading to unsafe conditions

While there are dozens or even hundreds of types of injuries which might take place in a construction zone, most of those accidents boil down to:

  • Falls

  • Injuries related to equipment misuse or malfunction

  • Collapse or other structural failure

  • Fire or explosion

  • Disease from improper sanitation or environmental management

Falls are by far the most common construction site injury (35%), though equipment issues are also quite common. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration reports that over 4,500 persons perished from job-related accidents in 2011—over a dozen a day. Conditions which might facilitate such accidents may be exponentially increased when a construction site is on a highway, or at one of the oil and gas plants common in the state.

Negligence on Construction Zones in New Mexico

Unfortunately, OSHA standards are ignored too commonly, and construction sites seem to be the biggest offender. Of the organization’s ten most violated standards, nearly each is a construction site staple, including:

  • Scaffolding faults

  • Overall lack of fall protection

  • Lack of respiratory protection

  • Faulty ladders

  • Faulty electrical conditions

  • Unsafe machinery, or machinery that is wielded in an unsafe manner

To make matters worse, the overwhelming majority of accidents in construction zones are extremely preventable. Simple human error is the cause of most construction accidents—not faulty, but improperly maintained sites and equipment. Ultimately, the responsibility for such injuries often lies with the organization or institution responsible for putting the construction project together. If an accident was preventable, it often means that at least one party is culpable for the resulting injury or death.