Defective Tools Can Put Construction Workers And Contractors At Risk

For construction workers and contractors, the tools that they carry are often critical to the ability to perform their job. Many professionals pride themselves on only using the best tools available. However, even with professional-grade equipment and tools, it is still possible for workers to wind up hurt because of defective tools or devices.

Contractors, in particular, won’t have the benefit of workers’ compensation available to them if they get hurt on the job. Injured construction workers may need to explore whether the manufacturer of a defective tool is liable for injuries they suffer on the job.

When construction tools malfunction, workers can get hurt

Those working in construction often find themselves in precarious positions. Maybe they are welding pieces of structural steel together high above the ground or drilling a hole in an existing wooden beam in order to attach something external as part of a retrofitting project. If the tool does something unusual or unpredictable, it could throw a worker off balance, potentially resulting in injuries.

For example, last year, DeWalt recalled roughly 122,000 power drills sold under two model numbers because they could shock someone during use. The issue was the result of wiring that could move and eventually contact moving or metal components inside the drill. Someone working high up on a construction site could wind up falling after a painful electrical shock caused by a defective power tool.

Workers should be able to depend on the tools of their trade

While it is certainly true that the electronic tools available to modern construction workers are more complex than those used a few generations ago, that complexity is not an excuse for devices malfunctioning or failing to perform.

In fact, the opposite is true. The technology used to design and manufacture tools has increased to a point where it is feasible for companies to find defects and address them before products ever get to consumers.

When companies don’t test pieces made by external suppliers or don’t do adequate quality control in their own facilities, construction workers could wind up hurt and could possibly bring a claim against a company for the defective tool involved in their accident.