4 Things You May Not Have Known About Construction Injuries
Construction workers in New York City face some tough working conditions. Work spaces can be tight or crowded or grandfathered in under outdated building codes. The weather can be numbingly cold or scorchingly hot. Passersby and other distractions can make work more difficult.
Serious injuries in a construction accident can take away one’s livelihood, perhaps permanently. Time off from work and mounting medical bills can be devastating to your finance. Fortunately, New York statute provides specific protections for those in the construction trades. Even with these favorable laws, you need an experienced personal injury attorney in your corner.
#1: Construction accidents are fairly common
Accidents in the construction industry are common. Falls are the most common type of accident resulting in injury. Other accidents that can occur include crush-in or crushed-between injuries, power tool malfunctions, cave-ins, falling objects and electrical shock. The one thing that all of these accidents have in common is that they can cause disabling injuries such as brain injury, broken bones and spinal cord injuries.
#2: Proper safety procedures are crucial
All construction sites should have proper safety procedures to help ensure that workers remain safe. The procedures at the work site should include information about how workers should handle everything from tag-out procedures to inspections on equipment. Proper safety equipment should always be available at the construction site to help protect workers, especially those who work at elevation.
#3: Scaffolds and ladders require special care
Construction workers in NYC should know is that there are special protections for workers who have to work on scaffolds, ladders, roofs and other heights. New York Labor Law Section 240 is also known as the Scaffold Law because it sets forth very strict standards for liability when a worker is injured on or by a scaffold. In fact, the absolute liability standard means that individuals harmed by a scaffold, even if they aren’t employees of the construction company that erected the scaffold, can file a claim. At a minimum, scaffolds should be inspected when they are erected and at the start of every shift after that.
#4: Injured workers might have options for compensation
Injured construction workers can turn to the workers’ compensation system for compensation after the injury. However, workers’ compensation isn’t always the only option. If an injury was the result of a defective product — such as poorly designed or manufactured scaffolding, power tool or piece of heavy equipment — the worker can seek compensation from the product manufacturer based on a third-party claim.
An experienced personal injury can help you decide which option(s) to pursue.
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