I'm writing about a builder, he's been in college, though I can't decide if he's got a degree or not. I want him promoted to a higher position than the average worker, but also want him to be on building sites. Cut a long story short, a murder takes place. Or rather, a heated confrontation leads to someone accidentally fatally wounding someone. They die later in hospital. Anyone know about that industry can tell me what sort of disasters could take place under those circumstances and jobs and stuff? I don't want anything melodramatic, something believable that would cause a long court case to determine whether they're guilty or not guilty of manslaughter. Thanks
The MC could learn bricklaying or plastering or some such trade in college but that would only be a basic trade skill. He could be a plumber or an electrician but neither trade would require a degree. A more advanced course would be architecture. Project Management might be suitable for your story as the MC would bear some responsibility for organizing the hire of tools and equipment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm Falls from height This is the main cause of fatal accidents. These often occur due to: Inadequate scaffolding, Lack of edge protection, Unprotected openings in buildings, Lack of edge protection in roof work, Dangerous demolition work, and Inappropriate use of inappropriate ladders and hoists.
Hi @JEH, welcome to the forum. It sounds like what you want is a criminal act. Most workplace accidents are considered civil crimes rather than criminal. Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit After a Construction Accident is a good place to start to understand an accident. It's similar to @Aled James Taylor's information from the UK. It might work to make the accident questionable as to whether it was 'caused' by the accused, with the accused claiming it was an accident caused by work safety negligence.
I've decided upon a few more things, except the exact details of the accident, but to also give a little background. haven't decided on names so i'll just call them character a and character b. character a is the one who went through college. his dad initially got him a job, then in his 20's he went to college and now in his early 30's, he's moved to a somewhat higher position, but still requires him to be on site character b is character a's junior in the construction. they are old friends, but things have gone badly. character b is jealous, possibly of the job, but i may think more of their history and make something better. character b isn't a bad person, but he's experienced the tough side of life, isn't a stranger to criminals or participation, but he's nothing near as bad as a murderer or a participant in organised crime. he is however a fighter, prone to anger and jealousy, so him causing an accident on a construction site already made him a liability in hindsight. whatever the argument is over, character b does something stupid in his anger that causes character a to be fatally wounded. he's horrified and calls an ambulance, but character a later dies in hospital. so the accident is fatal, but not an instant killer i won't be dealing with a court scene until much later and haven't decided on its details yet, but in court. character b would plead guilty to manslaughter and express remorse. his lawyer would try and reason that his actions were not pre-meditated and were accidental, whilst his prosecutor would point out that character b still did something he shouldn't have done in his anger, that could be seen as deliberate, suggesting that he is directly responsible. so yeah im just trying to work out details of in what form this accident occurs. the construction site could be anywhere with them doing anything. the point is that these events unfold
I'm currently studding a mechanical engineering degree, your character sounds like he doesn't have a degree. With a degree I would suggest structural engineering or civil. These kind of degrees require 3-5 years in university and 2-3 years in college prior to university (in the UK). So an average 6-8 years total training, depending on weather you take a placement year or do a foundation degree. Most sights won't take you one even for brick laying, electrical work or plastering without a college diploma or equivalent. Average diploma for the latter take 2-3 years. With a college diploma promotions I'd suggest would be, site manager or project manager (These jobs are achievable without university degrees, but require a lot of hard work and experience to get without professional training). Hope this helps
