Is Dangerous Construction Work Driving Up North Carolina Workers' Compensation Premiums?
Recent statistics put out by both the US Department Of Labor (DOL) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggest that construction workers are at high risk for suffering on the job injuries that can result in workers’ compensation claims, leading some North Carolina workers’ compensation policy experts to argue that accidents in this sector may be inflating premiums for employers.
According to DOL figures on 2007 construction work related injuries, there are over 250,000 active construction sites in the country, and around 6 million laborers employed. Each year, more than a thousand workers get killed on site. Many times that number get severely injured or traumatized. Construction work often leads to acute injuries, such as brain damage, spinal injuries, and bone and ligament damage, as well as to repetitive stress injuries and soft tissue damage stemming from overuse of machinery, bad ergonomics, and even improper posture.
OSHA also has sounded the alarm. The agency has found that construction site employers and employees alike routinely violate codes for scaffolding safety, protection against falls, helmet use, training, and general safety around ladders, electrical and open pits.
This news concerns many North Carolina workers’ compensation experts because of the anticipated “downstream” effects of these bad practices. When insurance companies pay out large claim amounts to injured construction workers, they must account for that resource drain somehow. Thus, they must raise premiums, cut benefits, or take other actions which can drive employers out of business or imperil the ability of other injured parties to collect on their North Carolina workers’ compensation claims.
More Web Resources
