A lot has been said lately about the dangers of texting and driving, or using cell phones in any way while behind the wheel. However, it’s also important to look at the way that these distractions can be dangerous in other settings, including a construction site.
Take, for example, the case of a site manager who was hit by a dump truck that was backing up. The man was rushed to the hospital, but he was so badly injured that he passed away.
It happened, in part, because he was on his phone. There were two dump trucks at the site, and they were using a spotter. The manager had to cross the site to check on another part of the project, and he decided to make a work-related call while he was walking.
Unfortunately, as one dump truck backed up, the spotter didn’t see the manager because he was looking behind himself, checking another area of the site to make sure it was clear. The driver also didn’t see the manager as he walked behind the truck and stopped, talking on his phone and facing the wrong direction.
The manager did not see the truck before he was hit, and he did not even hear the backup warning sounds, which were working properly. He was too distracted by his phone.
It’s also easy to imagine things playing out tragically if the driver or the spotter had been on the phone. These devices are distractions to any workers on an active site.
If you’ve been injured in an accident where someone else was distracted by a phone, you may be able to seek compensation in New Jersey.
Source: Work Safe, “Distracted attention—mobile phone use and walking,” accessed Dec. 30, 2015