Ironworking is one of the most dangerous jobs not just in the construction industry, but in any industrial profession or trade. Ironworkers in Indiana and Illinois deserve our respect for their courageous endeavors. See, The Most Dangerous Jobs in America Are Still the Most Deadly in 2021.
Moreover, our ironworkers are entitled to having essential workplace safety practices prioritized by their employers who have a recognized legal duty to keep them safe from harm on the worksite. Sadly, all too often ironworkers in our part of the country are severely injured or killed in a totally preventable on-the-job accident.
What is Ironworking?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), ironworkers “…install structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support buildings, bridges, and roads.” In many situations, the ironworker must work at great heights, and the risk of a life-altering or fatal fall is very high.
The risk of serious injury in a fall accident is much greater for an ironworker than it is for most other workers on any jobsite.
Ask any ironworker, and they will tell you that our country could not exist as we know it without the contributions of ironworking. The two-centuries old trade union, the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union (AFL-CIO (IW)), points out that ironworkers are responsible for such notable structures as the Sears Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the St. Louis Arch.
What Are the Ironworker’s Duties on the Worksite?
The ironworker has to have a wide range of talents and expertise in order to perform daily tasks, no matter the size or scope of the project. Among the ironworkers’ duties, according to the BLS, are the following:
- Read and follow blueprints, sketches, and other instructions;
- Unload and stack prefabricated iron and steel so that it can be lifted with slings;
- Signal crane operators who lift and position structural and reinforcing iron and steel;
- Use shears, rod-bending machines, torches, hand tools, and welding equipment to cut, bend, and weld the structural and reinforcing iron and steel;
- Align structural and reinforcing iron and steel vertically and horizontally, using tag lines, plumb bobs, lasers, and levels;
- Connect iron and steel with bolts, wire, or welds; and
- Install metal decking used in building construction.
Overall, ironwork can involve either introducing iron or steel components into a project or removing them. Ironworkers are responsible for taking iron and steel products and placing the metal components into the final project (building, office tower, highway bridge, roadway, etc.). Ironworkers are also tasked with the safe removal of steel and iron products when the project involves demolition or rehab of structures such as bridges or buildings. Both are very dangerous activities. Read, Demolition Accidents and the Risk of Severe Worker Injury or Death on the Job.
Types of Ironworkers
There are ironwork specialists. Structural ironworkers deal with the creation of frameworks. They take steel columns, girders, etc., that are delivered to the job site and transform them into the skeleton frame of the building or bridge. Cranes, derricks, scaffolds, and forklifts will all be involved in this work.
Reinforcing ironworkers secure steel bars into concrete, sometimes known as “reinforcing steel” or “rebar.” The BLS notes that reinforcing ironworkers are sometimes known as “rod busters.”
Finally, there are ironworkers who are involved in the actual manufacturing of metal products for use in construction. These manufacturing facilities are not at the construction site itself and will have their own set of hazards. Manufacturing ironworkers are known as structural metal fabricators and fitters.
Greatest Danger of Ironworking: Bodily Injuries Suffered in a Fall
Of course, the biggest risk of severe harm or death facing any ironworker is losing their footing or balance and falling. Falls are the greatest danger of injury in ironworking. Another great danger related to this hazard is the possibility that something on the worksite will fall from its position and hit the ironworker. Falling objects are another serious ironwork risk.
Ironworker Falling Accidents
The need to climb structures or to amble up a scaffold in order to do the job means that ironworkers are often working at a great distance from ground level. Accordingly, there are safety regulations in place that create responsibilities for employers to provide Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) for the ironworker to protect them from falling while working at a height. These include things like harnesses and hardhats. Read, Personal Protective Equipment and Serious Industrial Accidents.
The use of scaffolds on the job site also comes with established safety standards. Scaffolds are inherently dangerous and must be rigorously monitored, maintained, repaired, and replaced as needed by the employer. Others on the site may also have legal responsibilities for making sure that scaffolding being used by ironworkers is safe. For more, read Scaffolding Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
Falling Objects on the Ironworking Worksite
Fast-paced construction sites can be loud beehives of activity, especially when supervisors are concerned with project deadlines. If the worksite is not carefully monitored, there is a tremendous risk of a piece of machinery or equipment, loose materials, or various tools falling from their position and hitting the ironworker on task below.
Employers and others with possession or control of the worksite have a legal duty to take all reasonable and prudent steps to make sure the workplace is safe from the hazard of falling objects. This includes making sure the site itself is well-organized and not chaotic due to too many workers on the site at the same time. Read, Trade Stacking Construction Accidents: The Danger of Overcrowded Job Sites.
Weather Risks for Ironworkers
Here in Indiana and Illinois, our severe winter weather as well as high heat during our summers places ironworkers at a special risk for serious injury on the job. First of all, delay damages due to weather can be costly for the construction project’s bottom line, pushing supervisors to disregard all kinds of falling safety hazards in order to keep things moving.
Another known weather hazard facing ironworkers working at a height is the high winds that can blow through our local area. Sudden gusts can threaten scaffolding with collapsing on itself resulting in falling deaths, for instance. Accompanied by rain, these storms can build into very dangerous working conditions where slippery surfaces invite a fall. Finally, high temperatures lend themselves to ironworkers being in danger of heatstroke or disorientation due to dehydration which can lead to severe fall accident injuries on the job. See, Serious or Deadly Winter Construction Accidents in Illinois and Indiana and Extreme Heat on the Job: Danger of Severe Worker Injuries or Death.
Ironworker Claims for Justice After Work Accident in Indiana and Illinois
Ironworkers who are hurt on the job often suffer permanent bodily harm or impairment if they are blessed with surviving the accident itself. Survivors and their loved ones may face the consequences of catastrophic injuries that include amputation of one or more limbs; internal organ injuries with permanent harm; and traumatic brain injuries and/or spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis. For more, read:
- Amputation Injuries from On-the-Job Work Accidents in Indiana or Illinois
- Head Injury in an Accident: Varied Causes of Permanent Brain Injuries
- What are Catastrophic Injuries? Severe Bodily Harm Suffered by Accident Survivors in Indiana and Illinois.
The state laws of Indiana and Illinois allow ironworkers and their families to seek justice after there has been a serious or fatal on-the-job accident. In some instances, federal law may also provide for claims to be filed by these accident victims. Workers’ compensation as well as civil personal injury actions may be available, and not only the employer but others with legal responsibilities for the worksite or its components may have legal liability for what has occurred.
See:
- Workers Compensation in Indiana and Illinois: Work-Related Injuries and the Fight Against Corporate Greed
- Work Injuries and On-the-Job Accidents in Indiana and Illinois With Federal Law Protections: FELA, Jones Act, LHWCA, DBA
- Fatal Accidents and Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois
- Job Site Injury in Illinois or Indiana: When Accidents at Work Are Not Worker’s Compensation Claims.
Ironworkers in Indiana and Illinois must depend upon those with the legal duties of care and safety to meet those responsibilities and keep workers safe on the jobsite. Unfortunately, all too often in our part of the country, ironworkers suffer serious or deadly harm in a workplace accident that is the result of another’s neglect or breach in their legal duty of care. Please be careful out there!
