Insurance carriers in most cases are represented by experienced attorneys and pay expert medical witnesses hundreds of dollars an hour to testify that workers' ailments are not work-related. Building trades workers were admired and appreciated. Much has changed. On the positive side, construction jobs are generally safer than they were decades ago, as companies have acknowledged dangers long denied or have been forced into safer practices by regulators. But even as hundreds of exotic chemicals appear in the workplace, fewer construction workers belong to unions and serve apprenticeships, and training is sporadic.
More workers speak languages other than English.
And contract workers lack the long-term connections with specific companies and familiarity with work sites that foster safety. Project owners were obsessed with the bottom line and seemed not to care whether craftspeople made decent wages or had safe workplaces. You'll be exposed to one of the more dangerous occupations, but if the law doesn't protect you, in all likelihood we won't either. Enthusiasm, loyalty, hard work, initiative and a hearty smile.