The terrible construction accident we posted about yesterday that led to the deaths of three workers was met with shock and disgust. As is often the case with these sorts of situations, more and broader questions are being asked not only about the incident itself, but also regarding Texas’ safety regulations, the performance levels of the state’s regulators and even the treatment of Mexican workers.
News 8 in Austin published an interesting report along with some statistics regarding the trends that are developing, and below are a few of those excerpts:
“A study done by local nonprofit Workers Defense Project and the University of Texas finds one-in-five Austin-area construction workers needed medical attention for work injuries in the past.
Statewide, 142 construction workers died on the job in 2007.
“That’s nearly twice as many deaths as any other state in the country,” Timm said. “And, those statistics exist because regulators are not doing their jobs, because we don’t have strict enough policies to make sure employers are doing their part to ensure the safety of their workers.”
Mexican death rates are rising even as the U.S. workplace grows safer overall. In the mid-1990s, Mexicans were about 30 percent more likely to die than native-born workers; now they are about 80 percent more likely.”
While we do not want to turn this issue on race, what is reality is that immigrants are more likely to embrace dangerous duties than others, and it appears that they are paying the price as a result. What’s quite troubling is the number of construction deaths overall that occur, and if you or someone you love has been injured in a construction accident, contact the attorneys at the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Fri, Jun 12, 2009
Construction Accidents