Unless the weather is extreme, it may not influence someone’s workday that much.
However, the same cannot be said if you work in construction. Weather can cause or contribute to severe accidents on a job site. And while you may not hold Mother Nature liable for the damages you suffer in an accident, there could be others responsible for your injuries if you get hurt on a construction site.
Employers or contractors
Parties overseeing workers on a construction site are responsible for shutting down work if the weather turns bad or unsafe. However, too many accidents happen when these people fail to do this.
Employers or contractors may not shut down work in bad weather for many reasons. Some might not recognize that the conditions pose a risk to workers; others do not want to delay a job. Thus, they put workers in danger of being hurt in an accident they could have prevented.
This is one argument being made in a case involving a New Yorker injured in a crane accident that occurred on a rainy day with low visibility. Workers involved say they should not have even been working.
Other workers
Depending on the weather, workers on a site may need to take additional steps to keep themselves and others safe. They may need harnesses or change how they operate equipment on windy days; they might work on projects inside if it’s rainy; they may wear specific gear on days where there are threats of icy or lightning.
However, not all workers take these precautions. These oversights can create situations that put everyone on a job site in danger in bad weather.
Third parties
People who have no involvement in a project can still affect the workers on days of inclement weather.
For instance, motorists who do not slow down near job sites can crash into workers on slippery roads. Unauthorized individuals who enter a job site can put workers in danger if they remove equipment or disturb materials.
Should any of these parties fail to act responsibly and safely, they could put a person in danger of a catastrophic construction accident when the weather turns bad. Under these circumstances, they could be liable for damages to injured workers and their families.