A massive settlement in a workplace accident case in Hawaii led to renewed calls for increased safety in construction – and highlighted the potential financial consequences of failing to keep workers safe.
Local news station KHON2 reported on the $6.6 million settlement won by a construction worker left paralyzed from a workplace accident. The worker – identified only as Mr. Chen – fell 12 feet from the roof of a construction site in Honolulu, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
As part of the settlement, the contractor Mr. Chen was working for was not named.
The Chen family reportedly spent four years working to get compensation for Mr. Chen’s injury which the family’s attorney, Jeremy O’Steen, says could have been prevented with better safety training.
The attorney and the family are also urging all work sites to review their safety policies and for workers to know their rights.
“If you don’t already have formal policies and protocols in place for safety in the workplace, then you need to take the time and effort to make sure that you can put the right policies and protocols in place to prevent workplace injuries like this,” O’Steen told KHON2. “If you already have workplace policies and protocols, just as a start, find one thing tomorrow that you can change or modify about your policies to make the workplace safer. Beyond that, it’s all about enforcement. If you don’t have the appropriate enforcement or supervision those policies are as good as not having them at all.”
Mr. Chen’s 29-year-old daughter, Kara, told the news station that her father’s accident has impacted the entire family, emotionally, physically, and financially. Chen said she, her mother, and brother can only work part time because they each take turns caring for her father, who is unable to walk on his own.
“My dad is currently recovering okay, but every day he has a lot of pain on his body. So he’s not very emotionally very stable,” said Chen through an interpreter. “So we take turns to stay at home taking care of him. We have to cook for him and take care of him. For my mom, my dad, if he needs to use the bathroom at night or take a shower, he will need someone to assist him.”
O’Steen’s law firm, Miyashita and O’Steen, is donating $50,000 to the non-profit organization, Hawaii Workers Center. The center was established four years ago to be a resource for workers, especially where English is a second language.
The construction industry has long been one of the most hazardous industries in the U.S. – and falls such as the one that paralyzed Mr. Chen are perennially among the most lethal hazards in the sector.
There were 1,075 construction-related fatalities in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Slips, trips & falls accounted for 421 fatalities, or 39.2% of all deaths in the industry, with most fatal falls occurring from heights between 6 and 30 feet. Portable ladders and stairs were the leading sources of 109 slips, trips & falls deaths.
At GPRS, our entire team is committed to your safety and the safety of your job site so that you and your team can go home at the end of the day. Safety is always on our radar, which is why we are proud sponsors of Construction Safety Week.
From May 5-9, 2025, our team members will visit job sites across the country to share best practices for a variety of workplace-related safety topics, including fall protection, confined spaces, heat stroke, and mental health. The focus of these safety meetings is on how each individual can make their space a safe space to work.
Together, we can reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities on your job site.
Click here to schedule your Construction Safety Week presentation today.
