Electric shock at Houston construction sites is a dangerous concern.
Every year millions of Americans are shocked by an electric appliance, contact with bare wires, being struck by lightning or accidentally coming into contact with live electrical wires. Of those people that are shocked, approximately 1,000 Americans are electrocuted, the difference being that electrocution means that the person died from an electrical shock.
Injuries and Laws associated with electric shock
Electric shock injuries
An electrical shock often results in burns where the person comes into contact with an electrical source and where the electricity leaves the persons body. Electricity will travel between the entrance and exit wounds possibly causing damage to internal organs. Damage from an electrical shock can result in cardiac arrest, nerve and muscle damage, and brain injury.
Safety around electrical sources should be a major concern for employers on construction sites. Every year thousands of construction workers come into contact with live electrical wires. Live electrical wires pose a serious threat to construction workers that are carrying building materials near over-head wires. Additionally, each year dozens of incidents are reported in which a crane comes into contact with live over-head wires resulting in shock or electrocution to the operator of the crane.
Injury-preventative Texas laws
Under Texas law, an employer owes its employees a duty to provide a safe working environment. This duty includes ensuring that employees are protected from the dangers involved with working in close proximity to sources of electricity. An employer is negligent when they fail to make safe a condition that could result in an electrical shock or electrocution of one of its employees.
If you or someone you love has been injured on the work site as a result of an electrical hazard please contact Grossman Law Offices. Our experienced Houston personal injury law attorney will aggressively pursue your personal injury claim and insure that your employer is held responsible for your injury.