As a general rule, after the planning stage of any size of road construction project there will be the initial and important step of preparing the site for the construction itself. This may involve not only basic site clearing, but the need for demolition to get things ready for ground levelling or grading to build a stable and dependable foundation for the roadway. This phase can take months to accomplish in a complex infrastructure project.
Site preparation will involve construction workers clearing things away, such as structures that have to be removed; vegetation; and other impediments. However, that is often insufficient and professionals in the aspects of demolition will be necessary.
What is Involved in Road Construction Demolition?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) defines demolition as “…the dismantling, razing, destroying or wrecking of any building or structure or any part thereof…,” warning that “…[d]emolition work involves many of the hazards associated with construction.”
In the repair, upgrading, or building of roadways here in Chicago as part of the historic and huge “Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan,” demolition may involve many things from removal of structures and buildings, to razing roadways and their supports in order to make way for upgrades.
Demolition will also involve the removing of debris and other obstacles on the site. The process is tremendously risky for everyone involved. At the end of the demolition process, there will be a clean slate at the worksite for road construction workers to begin excavation, compaction, pavement construction, setting up drainage systems, and more.
Of note, successful demolition takes into consideration the environmental impact of the process and the dangers therein. Things like asbestos, lead, silica, or other hazardous materials and toxins may be involved.
The mystery involved in the demolition process is part of its risks. As OSHA explains, demolition is “particularly dangerous” as it “…involves additional hazards due to unknown factors….”
For more details on the demolition process, see: Demolition Work: Risk of Severe Injury or Death on the Job; and Demolition Accidents and the Risk of Severe Worker Injury or Death on the Job.
Massive Amount of Chicago Road Construction Projects, Taking Years to Complete
The number of manhours needed just for the demolition process on road work construction projects here in the Chicago area is mind-blowing, possibly incalculable. There are literally thousands of miles of roadway that will need extensive demolition work as part of Rebuild Illinois.
For instance, over the six-year span from 2019 to 2025, Chicago “highlights” included the following. Since this 2019 announcement, even more infrastructure planning and budgeting has been approved for Chicagoland. Read, e.g., “Largest-ever Construction Program in Illinois History Announced,” published by the Illinois Business Journal on July 10, 2023.
Over four years ago, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced the following Chicago road construction projects, all needing extensive demolition:
- Kennedy Expressway (I-190): $561 million for reconstruction, addition of auxiliary lanes and other capacity enhancements from Bessie Coleman Drive to I-90, improving safety and access to O’Hare International Airport.
- 95th Street: $92 million to rebuild critical intersection at Stony Island Avenue. Project involves rebuilding railroad bridges to accommodate wider intersection and bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
- Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94): $72.6 million for 38 bridge deck overlays from the Edens Expressway (I-94) to Hubbard Street in Chicago.
- Congress Parkway: $25.4 million for major bridge improvements under Old Post Office in Chicago.
And all these demolition responsibilities come with great risk of harm to every road construction worker involved in any one of the numerous and complicated projects made a part of the unprecedented Illinois transportation improvement plan.
Demolition Risks for Construction Worker Injuries or Death in On-the-Job Accidents
All sorts of construction site dangers apply to those workers involved in the demolition phase of a road construction project. These include:
- Crushing injuries: Demolition comes with the obvious danger of a part or section of the structure collapsing instantaneously. The entire bridge, ramp, beam, etc., may abruptly collapse and crush one or more workers caught in its path.
- Explosions: Demolition can sometimes require the use of a planned explosion to efficiently remove things. Any number of road construction workers can be hurt or killed if these explosions fail in some way. Additionally, there can be explosions on a road work demolition site where combustible dust or live electric current explodes and causes injuries.
- Falls: Road construction demolition workers can suffer serious harm in falls involving failing surfaces, toppling beams, and other uneven surfaces, or from heights involved in the demolition itself.
- Toxins and Hazardous Material Exposure: Demolition in road construction projects may have great risk of sudden, unexpected exposure to things like silica, lead, and other toxins that are exposed as part of the demolition stage.
The variety of dangerous situations involved in road construction demolition is enormous, and safety considerations must be varied and comprehensive.
As one example, back in 2016 an Illinois contractor was fined $152,000 by OSHA when a road construction worker died during demolition on a highway road construction project in Des Plaines. The accident happened as the worker victim was busy torch-cutting bracing between two beams when one of the 40-foot steel beams fell. This worker died in the accident, and three other construction workers on the demolition site suffered bodily harm, as well.
The contractor, in addition to being fined, was given a willful violation citation for overstressing the beam, and placed in the OSHA Severe Violator Program. Apparently, this employer had consistently ignored worker safety for years since reports include that it had 8 prior violations over 14 previous inspections to the company covering the twelve years prior to the tragic death of the worker in the demolition accident. Read, “Illinois contractor fined $152K after workers’ fatal demolition accident,” written by Kim Slowey and published on October 14, 2016, by Construction Dive.
Claims for Justice After Demolition Accident in Chicago Road Construction Project
Any construction worker involved in demolition on any road project in the Chicago area, and particularly all the numerous road work zones involved in Rebuild Illinois throughout Chicagoland, needs to know that not only their employer but several other parties may have legal liability for any harm that they sustain in a demolition accident on the job.
First of all, there are all sorts of industrial standards and safety regulations that establish clear duties of safety and care to protect road construction workers from demolition injuries. These are found in 29 CFR Part 1926, and cover a wide variety of responsibilities. Road construction workers dealing with demolition should have the proper Personal Protective Equipment, for instance (1926 Subpart E), and specific safety measures are mandated for the removal of steel construction (1926.858).
For how federal regulations apply in the State of Illinois, read: Workplace Safety and OSHA Regulations in Indiana and Illinois.
Potential liability may fall on professionals involved in the project planning who failed to do the right thing insofar as safety protections, as well as contractors and supervisors on the site, and any companies involved in the manufacture, repair, design, or sale of heavy machinery or equipment that was a proximate cause of the harm suffered by the worker victim.
For more, read: Who Can Be Held Liable for Construction Worker Accidents? and Multiple Employers on the Construction Site: Who Is Liable For Construction Worker Accidents?
To learn more about road construction worker accidents in Chicago, read other articles in our series:
- Trenching Dangers in Chicago Road Work Construction Projects: Rebuild Illinois in Chicagoland
- Struck By or Caught-In-Between Accidents in Road Work Zones: Chicago Construction Dangers
- Reckless Driving in Chicago Road Work Accidents
- Dangers From Work Trucks Facing Road Construction Workers in Chicago
- Asphalt Dangers to Workers in Chicago Area Road Work Zones
- Electricity Accident Dangers for Road Work Construction Workers in Chicagoland.
Demolition work on Chicago roads is happening now and will be continuing on future Rebuild Illinois road projects for years to come. Road construction workers, no matter how expert and professional, will face a terrific danger of being hurt or killed in these demolitions. The risk is high that any one or more of those parties with a legal duty of safety will fail to respect that responsibility, putting workers at risk. Please be careful out there!
