Weather forecasts for our part of the country predict a long, cold winter with more snow than usual in 2022. From traditional predictions in the Old Farmer’s Almanac Long Range Weather Forecast to the entertaining poker-analogies of ABC-57 South Bend’s Tom Coomes, we are expected to face lower-than-normal winter temperatures coupled with as much as 62 inches of snow in most areas.
Of course, construction work will not stop in Indiana or Illinois just because of winter weather conditions. Project managers for both residential and commercial construction projects will have schedules that accommodate winter weather delays within their time frames.
While roof construction may stop due to snowfall and foundations may wait to be poured until temperatures rise, other aspects of the building project can continue in most winter weather situations. Interiors, for instance, can proceed.
Which means this winter, absent severe circumstances, local construction workers in all kinds of trades will brace themselves as best they can and put in a hard day’s work. Sadly, statistics reveal that for some of these construction workers the winter weather will play a significant role in a serious or fatal on-the-job injury.
Winter Hazards Facing Construction Workers on the Job Site
Construction is recognized as one of the most dangerous industries in the United States, with the risk of a worker dying on a construction site skyrocketing in the past year. For more, read our discussions in Construction Workers: The Most Dangerous Job Today; and Construction Worker’s Risk of Dying on the Job Jumps 41% According to New Report.
Construction work is always perilous. However, workers and employers must recognize the danger of a severe or fatal bodily injury on a construction job site in Indiana and Illinois intensifies during the winter months.
In winter weather, our construction workers face accident dangers and injury risks that include:
1] Bodily Injury From Failure to Provide Proper Safeguards Against the Cold
Employers, supervisors, contractors, and managers on the construction site have a legal duty to provide safe working conditions for the construction workers on the job. Cold weather, even on days without snow or wind, brings the risk of serious physical injuries due to exposure to the extreme temperatures.
It is the responsibility of the employer to make sure that every worker has sufficient protection against the winter weather conditions on a construction site in Indiana or Illinois. The circumstances will dictate the needs of the worker, from insulated gloves and coats, to thermal hats and water-resistant boots.
The failure to make sure that the construction worker is protected against the winter weather conditions with proper safeguards can result in a range of bodily harm, such as:
- Chilblains – exposed skin results in permanent and painful harm to the victim’s blood vessels;
- Trench Foot and Gangrene – feet exposed to wet and cold weather have constriction of blood vessels that results in the death of skin tissue;
- Frostbite – exposure to cold temperatures results in permanent damage to underlying tissues including paralysis; and
- Hypothermia – extended exposure to cold temperatures for the worker’s entire body results in the body’s temperature falling to dangerous and deadly levels with potentially fatal consequences.
2] Greater Risk of Fatal Falls During Winter Weather
Falls are recognized as the number one reason for construction worker deaths in the United States. For details, read Construction Fall Accidents in Indiana or Illinois: Great Danger of Fatal Injury in a Fall on the Job; and Construction Worker Deaths: Almost Half of All Construction Fatalities Caused by Falls.
Employers must take special care to protect against this well-known hazard on construction projects during the winter months. Any amount of snow or ice, or melted puddles, provides an added level of falling danger on the worksite.
Winter fall protections can involve things like monitoring all footpaths for any potentially slippery surfaces in advance with plans for protecting against falls. Rubber mats, warning signs, non-slip boots, and added handrails may be warranted in the situation, along with periodic de-icing and mopping up of unavoidable wet spots, like entry doorways and outdoor stairsteps.
Workers must also be trained in how to work safely when faced with slick or slippery winter weather walking surfaces as well as being warned of any and all winter fall hazards on the worksite.
3] Truck Crashes and Vehicular Accidents on Winter Construction Sites
Just as winter weather conditions increase the likelihood of a serious fall injury on the construction project, the snow, ice, sleet, and cold will also impact the possibility of a motor vehicle accident involving all sorts of motor vehicles involved in the work.
Winter driving hazards can result in accidents that include:
- Dump trucks
- Pickup trucks
- Tractor-trailers, Semis, and Big Rigs
- Delivery vans
- Sedans and SUVs
- Forklifts.
Employers have a legal duty to protect against these winter weather vehicular accidents by taking safety precautions that include things like: (1) proper repair and maintenance of the vehicle; (2) proper training of the driver on operation in winter weather conditions; (3) inspection and monitoring of the site for weather hazards, such as ice on the roadway; and (4) regular snow-removal from the site, including worker parking lots.
Justice for Construction Workers Injured in Winter Weather Accidents
Fortunately, weather forecasts do not predict winter dangers that we have known in the past like the Blizzard of 2011, the Snowstorm of 2009, or the infamous Blizzard of 1978, the worst winter storm in Indiana’s history. Nevertheless, the upcoming months will bring with them snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain, winds, and wintery cold that will challenge even the toughest workers on our local construction sites.
Unfortunately, statistical confirmations of the great dangers faced by those employed in the construction industry mean that there will be workers who suffer serious or deadly harm on a construction site due to the failure of someone else to meet their legal duty of care and safety.
When this occurs, that construction worker winter accident victim and their loved ones may have legal redress under state workers’ compensation, wrongful death, negligence, and/or product liability laws.
For more, read:
- Electrical Injuries and Electrocution Accidents on the Construction Site
- Caught In-Between Hazards: One of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” Deadly Construction Accidents
- Deadly Construction Fall Accidents: Duty to Provide Fall Safety Equipment Protections for Construction Workers
- Heavy Machinery Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
- Fatal Accidents and Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois
- Workers Compensation in Indiana and Illinois: Work-Related Injuries and the Fight Against Corporate Greed.
Winter weather will not stop our construction workers from doing their jobs, and their diligence is to be commended. Sadly, they will face even higher risks of serious or deadly harm at work as a result. Please be careful out there!
