Construction work is inherently hazardous, and the level of risk significantly increases when the workplace is poorly maintained. Some neglected buildings have worse hazards than others due to disuse. That’s why rehabilitating abandoned properties for adaptive reuse and decommissioning dilapidated structures usually involves more pitfalls compared to extending or renovating old wings of occupied offices, hospitals, hotels, factories and shopping malls.
What dangers await laborers, skilled tradespeople and heavy equipment operators?
Discover the curveballs neglected facilities throw to unsuspecting construction workers.
Fragile Areas Appear Stable
Rarely visited or maintained areas are often leaky, allowing air and moisture to enter unchecked and damage structural features. Wood rots, iron rusts and masonry cracks. Nonferrous metals develop a protective layer to stop corrosion, but alkalinity in concrete and certain chemicals weaken them over time.
The older the building, the more outdated the methods used to construct it. Without modern retrofits, any part of a neglected facility can cave in — as happened in Madrid, Spain, in October 2025.
The interior of a six-story office building being converted into a four-star hotel collapsed, killing three construction workers and one architect. The property was built in 1965 and classified as “unfavorable” twice, following technical inspections in 2012 and 2022, due to its condition.
Faulty Wiring Spells Disaster
According to data from the National Fire Protection Association from 2018 to 2022, 23% of warehouse fires occurred in vacant or idle buildings. Another 1% happened in structures undergoing major renovation or under construction. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment played a role in the ignition 19% of the time. Although the cause of fire was undetermined or unreported in most incidents, equipment failure was often the culprit in closed cases.
Electrical fires are also likely in nonindustrial facilities, especially those that are aging and unoccupied. Wiring insulation degrades and disintegrates over time. Exposed wiring increases the likelihood of short circuits, causing sparks and combusting nearby flammable materials.
Construction crews equipped with electrical tools could overload and overheat circuits. Stagnant water in flooded buildings can become electrically charged, posing a risk of shock or electrocution to unwary individuals. In fact, 8.3% of construction workers die from being accidentally electrocuted.
Asbestos and Lead Wake Up When Disturbed
Buildings in disrepair are synonymous with asbestos and lead paint contamination. These substances stay dormant until somebody touches the objects and surfaces containing them, releasing toxic dust into the air.
Inhaling asbestos fibers can damage lung tissues and irreversibly compromise the respiratory system. Meanwhile, breathing in lead particles can cause various ailments, including joint and muscle pain, high blood pressure and mood disorders.
Asbestos and lead are silent killers because symptoms can take a long time to manifest themselves. Construction workers can even expose their loved ones at home, and secondary exposure to toxins isn’t limited to asbestos and lead. A pilot study about take-home exposure to toxic metals in Greater Boston published in 2022 found that concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel and tin dust were present in construction workers’ houses.
Entrapment Is a Serious Concern
Demolition jobs and renovation projects present numerous nightmarish scenarios where people can get trapped for extended periods without anyone noticing. Examples include stepping into an unguarded elevator shaft, getting stuck under a collapsing wall, falling into a confined space after walking on a crumbling staircase or being unconscious in an unknown spot after getting hit in the head by falling debris.
Entrapment hazards can cause severe or fatal injuries. Physically intact sufferers are not out of harm’s way. Dangerous gases can displace oxygen and result in suffocation or poisoning. Trapped individuals can drown in flood-prone sites.
Being trapped is one thing, but getting rescued soon enough is another. Injured workers with life-threatening trauma need urgent medical attention, while relatively healthy and able ones require clean water and food to survive. In November 2025, a medieval tower in Rome, Italy, collapsed during conservation work, taking the life of one worker who was under the rubble for nearly 12 hours.
Wildlife Encounters Can Be Perilous
Pest infestation is common in neglected properties. Unoccupied or infrequently maintained areas are free real estate to critters seeking safe places for shelter and protection from predators and the elements.
The types of vermin that may inhabit poorly maintained facilities vary by location, but the usual suspects are birds, rodents and bats. Insects also love to colonize buildings with decaying organic materials and water for sustenance and dark, cool environments for reproduction.
Although these unwanted building occupants fear humans and attempt to avoid detection, their presence can still startle workers and cause accidents. People encountering them on-site can sustain infectious bites. Exposure to biohazards can also be indirect. For instance, contact with mud and stagnant water contaminated by rat urine increases the risk of leptospirosis.
Exposing Facility Maintenance Neglect’s Hidden Hazards
Working in buildings in less desirable conditions is a common reality in the construction industry. While some hazards can be more challenging to perceive, knowing they exist and planning for them can save worker lives.
