The simple answer to this question is that everyone is at risk. Not only do workers here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere face the usual risks that come with working construction, but they also spend a good portion of their workdays near fast moving and/or heavy equipment vehicles. Even so, one worker on a road construction site appears more at risk than the others are — the “crossing guards” or flaggers.
Data from the Center for Construction Research and Training’s (CPWR) Data Center revealed that out of every 100,000 road construction workers, 41 who served as the crossing guards of the site lost their lives. It may not be difficult to understand why since they tend to work nearest traffic. Some drivers fail to keep their eyes and minds on the road, and these workers pay the price for it.
However, the barriers erected in roadwork zones only help with part of the danger since passenger and other commercial vehicles are not the only ones on-site that present a danger. Nearly half of all fatalities on road construction sites happen when a worker is on foot. These individuals were struck either by heavy equipment used at the site or vehicles passing through it.
Regardless of how they happen road construction site accidents often involve injuries that change workers’ lives, and the lives of their families, forever. Those who survive their ordeals may never return to work depending on their injuries. Workers’ compensation benefits could provide much needed financial support, but obtaining them is not always easy. Working with an experienced Pennsylvania attorney could help increase the odds of receiving all the benefits and other compensation warranted by the circumstances.