There are no two ways about it -- construction work can be dangerous. Even if conditions appear to be ideal, the inherent danger of the job can lead to a construction accident for even the most experienced workers. Many Pittsburgh workers have stories of near misses when they could have been seriously injured.
It might be going too far to say that a recent bridge construction accident in Boston was a near miss, but there is little doubt that the situation could easily have been much worse for the two workers who were involved. The men were inside a 35-foot hole, doing their work, when a chute that was being used to funnel concrete collapsed on top of them. The resulting debris injured both of the men.
As a result, they were unable to climb the ladder that they had used to descend to their working position. In order to get them out, their fellow workers lowered a type of specialized stretcher called a Stokes basket to get them out. Once they had been taken out of the hole, emergency personnel transported them to a hospital.
A fire department spokesman said that the two workers sustained some bumps and bruises, but that they would be fine. Of course, it may not be that simple; what might appear to be a minor injury might actually be more severe once it is examined. Workers who have been hurt on the job need to take care that their seemingly minor injuries are not actually more serious.
Source: The Boston Globe, "Two construction workers injured in Longfellow Bridge accident," Jacqueline Tempera, June 2, 2014
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