As a result of many injuries and even deaths on the job, workers are asking for safer construction sites. An injured building worker in Houston, Texas, named Antonio spoke out about what happened.
He said he wasn’t protected at work, so he fell and hit his ankle on a nail. He treated the cut with hydrogen peroxide and said he would “take him to the doctor the next day.” Later, when Antonio got home, the swelling got too big. As his symptoms got worse, he drove himself to the emergency room.
Medical professionals told him that they would have to cut off his limbs in just a few minutes. According to Antonio, he was in the hospital for sixteen days. Then he said that the worker hadn’t answered the phone when he called about two weeks later to “see if he was ready to work.”
Forty thousand workers, including Antonio, have dealt with this. Nine hundred deaths were reported in 2022.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers are legally expected to keep workers from getting hurt or sick at work. “The construction industry is dangerous, but falls can be avoided.” “These accidents can be avoided,” says Ryan Paperiello, a safety and health expert for the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America.
These accidents and deaths are often happening because OSHA rules are not being followed. Many people are also afraid to say when something they’re doing or being told to do is unsafe, according to experts.
For all the risks, injuries, and general dangers of the job, many building workers say they are not given enough water or breaks. Many workers don’t say anything about this because they’re afraid of being punished or losing their jobs.