New York city stands out for its famous skyline and unique architecture displayed in many of the 700,000 buildings it has. This is mostly due to the impeccable work of builders, who are responsible for building, repairing and even demolishing these buildings to make room for other projects.
However, despite the workers’ significant role in the city, they are unfortunately working in the city’s most dangerous industry. In fact, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that deaths and injuries in building sites continue to be problematic. The New York City construction accident lawyers at Friedman Levy have provided several leading causes of these serious incidents.
Falls
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reported that falls are the major causes of deaths in building sites in America. In fact, falls account for over one-third of building-related deaths annually. Working in building sites in big cities often involves working from elevated platforms and if the area does not have safety equipment such as harnesses and rails, there is a greater risk of falling.
Being hit by falling objects
In sites, objects can unexpectedly fall from elevated platforms when the builders are working from above the ground. Therefore, it is very important for people on the site to wear hard hats.
Trips and falls
Sites usually have cables, wires, machines, holes, trenches, and tools which make it hard to navigate the area safely and can cause the laborers to trip and get injured.
Electrocution
Electrocution is one of the major causes of deaths in building sites. There are usually a lot of electrical tools in building sites and if they are faulty or used incorrectly, they can electrocute someone. Electrocution can cause scarring, burns, severe nerve damage or even death. Fortunately, casualties from electrocution have reduced in recent years, partly due to an increase in usage of safety gears at work and improved safety training.
Being caught between objects
According to OSHA, being caught between objects is a major cause of deaths in building sites. Such incidents usually happen when machinery or cranes are not turned off or left unattended on the working area.
Building materials
Erecting a building requires a lot of materials such as nails, lumber, tubing, pipes, screws and ducts, which may cause injuries if they are carelessly left lying around. Workers who wear protective gear such as boots, hardhats and gloves are less likely to get injured while using the materials.
Elevators
The big city has a lot of high-rise buildings which are being built and the elevators are usually included in the blueprint of these buildings. However, building elevators or working near or around the elevator shafts can be dangerous for the laborers.
Hand and power tools
If building tools are not used or stored properly, they can cause injuries to laborers around the site. If workers properly know how to use the correct tools for the job, they can avoid getting hurt.
Conclusion
The property owners, general contractors and construction managers have a duty of providing safe working environments to the employees. Therefore, if you have been hurt on a building site because of someone else’s negligence, don’t hesitate to reach out to a New York city construction accident attorney for legal assistance.
