Catastrophe Struck--Now What?

We all know that construction can be a dangerous business. Safety is one of the biggest issues any construction business deals with, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, in spite of the best safety programs, training, and precautionary measures, accidents still do happen. And sometimes, they are catastrophic. What do you do when you get the call that one of your employees has been badly injured or, even worse, killed?

First and foremost, the immediate welfare of your employee should take priority. Get them the immediate medical attention they need; when in doubt, error on the side of caution. Then alert their family so that the employee’s loved ones can get involved in the medical decision-making.

"Ok," you say, "my team member has been taken to the hospital. What do I need to be doing back at the job site?" Make sure that the site does not pose a continuing threat to anyone else. You’ve already had one injury, you certainly don’t want more. If it may take some time to determine whether the premises remains hazardous, limit access to the area until you’ve determined the threat is gone.

At this point of the situation, assuming that the employees health is being tended to and the job site no longer poses a danger, it is important to start documenting what happened. Find witnesses, get their account of what happened, and write down their contact information. Take photos of the accident scene; this is the only chance you will have to capture the image of what it looked like at the time of the accident. If your company has a policy in place about creating incident/accident reports, work through that protocol. Memories fade, and no one will ever have a better account of what happened than immediately after the event. Keep in mind, however, that the products of your investigation may be discoverable if litigation ensues.

Hopefully, your documentation began long before the accident. Your company should have a safety plan in effect, and you should have been following it. You also should have some documentation that your employees followed the safety protocol.

"Whew, I’ve taken the immediate response actions, and now I’m gong to head back to the office to catch my breath," you utter after a long day (or night). You plop down in your chair at your desk and then it hits you – things have only just begun. Time to start making phone calls. If the injured person was an employee, your workers comp carrier should be immediately notified of the accident. You should also call your commercial general liability (CGL) carrier as well and advise them of the incident. Depending on the nature of the accident, you may be required to notify OSHA as well.

You should also contact your legal counsel as soon as possible. If there is a fatality, they should be one of the first calls you make. The reality of today’s business climate is that there is a good chance that catastrophic (and even some non-catastrophic) accidents will result in litigation, particularly if the injured person is a non-employee (workers comp statutes provides some relief from lawsuits for employers when their own employees are injured). Because of this fact, you have certain duties to preserve evidence. You should preserve photos, witness statements, accident reports, documentation done surrounding the accident, written policies and procedures...the list could go on. In a nutshell, if the materials (including computer files and e-mails) have any relevance, they should be preserved. This may sound like common sense, but the penalties can be stiff if litigation arises and relevant materials have been altered or destroyed.

The best way to handle catastrophic accidents is to prevent them. The reality, however, is that at some point you will probably have to deal with one. This doesn’t represent an exhaustive list of everything that needs to be done, but it is a good start. By taking the proper steps, both before and after the incident, hopefully you will be able to keep the catastrophic accident from becoming a catastrophic liability for your company.