The Deadly Art of Demolition

Construction is known to be a dangerous occupation and when workers get hurt, it’s not likely to be a minor injury. When you need help fighting the insurance company, you want an experienced workers’ compensation attorney on your side. The law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman has offices located in Wilmington, Seaford, and Newark to serve personal injury clients across Delaware who have suffered injuries at work.

Sometimes there just isn’t enough empty space in an area to build, especially if the location is prime real estate. Entire buildings and large structures need to be taken down to make room for newer, safer, more functional buildings, bridges, and other projects. The most efficient method of deconstruction in these cases is through the use of demolition – literally bringing stories-high configurations of metal and concrete to ground level in a matter of seconds. The only way to do that is through the use of high explosives; however much work goes into demolition before ever getting to the detonation phase.

This offers plenty of room for workers’ compensation claims in heavy construction from catastrophic injuries.

All phases of demolition projects pose injury risks

Before ever pressing the button to bring a building to its knees, months of work can go into preparing for the big event. There are typically five stages to demolition projects:

1. Safety planning. The site, surrounding area and workers need to be protected from falling debris and other hazards that come with construction zones. This includes wearing special clothing, covering buildings, and establishing a safety perimeter. During this phase, workers are exposed to fall injuries working from heights, deep lacerations, burns from blow torches, and other general construction dangers.
2. Dismantling. Removal of internal fixtures and materials is necessary to set the stage for a successful implosion. Any unplanned obstacles can set a falling building on a different trajectory, causing mass damage and even casualties. Large, heavy equipment such as hydraulic excavators with a variety of attachments for crushing and removing of concrete and metal are typically used during this process. During this step, portions of the structure are being removed, which may weaken and destabilize it, risking cave-ins while demolition workers are inside.
3. Explosives placement. Once the internal preparation is completed, the demolition workers begin the hazardous task of stuffing explosives into predrilled holes around the structure. Depending upon the situation and building materials, anything from dynamite to RDX may be used to accomplish the goal. Handling explosives is inherently dangerous all on its own. An unstable stick of dynamite can kill a person instantly.
4. Detonation. Bringing thousands of tons of construction materials to the ground in seconds is one of the most dangerous tasks on the planet. Often this is done in areas populated by businesses in close quarters with no room for error. A broken window caused by explosive waves can injure occupants of the building, prompting a personal injury, just as debris falling outside the predicted safe zone can injure or kill a construction worker.
5. Removal. Once the structure comes down, heavy equipment is brought in to remove the debris. During this process, working with heavy equipment around shifting rubble is perilous. There’s little guarantee of predicting whether a pile of debris may cave in or equipment may malfunction.

Common catastrophic injuries at demolition construction sites can include:

• Crush injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Amputations
• Death

The unthinkable can happen

In October, three construction workers were killed in New Orleans when the Hard Rock Hotel crumbled on top of them. Two of the workers’ bodies have been trapped since the collapse and may have to remain unrecovered until the rest of the hotel is brought down sometime in 2020.  The emotional distress and trauma felt by a deceased construction worker’s family in this situation is certain to be unbearable.

Steps towards demolition of the toppled construction site is certain to pose even greater risk given the structure is already unstable, allegedly due to negligence. Workers now have to attempt to stabilize what’s left of the compromised building in order to properly bring it back down. Given that nobody yet knows what caused the collapse, construction workers don’t know what hazards they are walking into.

Further north, The University of Delaware is in the process of beginning the demolition of Christiana Towers, the tallest building in Newark. The building requires asbestos remediation – an entirely different danger – before even choosing whether to dismantle or implode the 47-year-old structure.

When you work construction, you accept a certain amount of risk that you could be injured or killed, but that risk shouldn’t increase due to negligence. The caring workers’ compensation attorneys at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman will hold responsible parties accountable for your injuries when you can’t fight then on your own. Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation in our Wilmington, Seaford, or Newark offices by calling 302-888-2900, or reach out to us through our contact form to tell us your story.