There are a lot of factors that contribute to construction accidents, such as working around large machinery and insufficient safety training. However, New Jersey construction workers could also be dealing with an invisible risk that they encounter each and every day — time. According to a recent study, time is a pretty big risk factor when it comes to traumatic construction injuries.
The early hours of a shift
According to that study, a construction injury is most likely to occur during the first four hours of a worker’s shift. To reach this conclusion, researchers looked at more than 12,000 workers’ compensation claims during the study. They also focused their research on disabling injuries, which they defined as injuries that caused:
- Three or more days of missed work
- Overnight hospitalization
- Permanent disability
- Death
Working at odd hours
Researchers also found that time of day matters. While construction workers who are on evening or night shifts are also at a higher risk for serious injuries during the first four hours of their shifts, they tend to suffer more severe injuries when compared to day workers. Commonly cited accidents that contribute to traumatic injuries for all construction workers include:
- Falls
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Struck by objects
Regardless of when one suffered an on-the-job accident, getting compensation is often key to recovery. This is because recovering from traumatic construction injuries often requires taking time off work, which means fewer paychecks to handle related medical bills. Securing benefits the first time around is not always straightforward, though. This is why, whether filing for the first time or seeking an appeal, some people choose to work closely with an attorney who is knowledgeable about the New Jersey workers’ compensation system.