A worker fell nearly 30 feet on May 18 at a construction site next to Grand Central. According to an NBC New York news report, the 49-year-old man was working at 333 Madison Avenue between 43rd and 44th streets when he fell from the fifth to the second floor. The victim was then transported to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. The building where this fatal injury incident happened is being renovated as a tech hub called Grand Central Tech.
This is the latest in a string of construction accident deaths in New York City. Last month, three construction workers died at various city sites within a single week. On April 18, a 51-year-old worker was struck and killed by falling debris when he was working on façade repairs at an apartment building on Manhattan’s East Side. On April 10, a 23-year-old man fell to his death from the roof of a 13-story Brooklyn building. And on April 13, a 34-year-old man from Brooklyn was crushed by the counterweight of a crane in SoHo.
Three Important Steps to Prevent Falls
Falls are the leading cause of deaths in the construction industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2017, there were 366 fatal falls to a lower level out of 971 construction fatalities. These deaths are preventable, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This federal agency, since 2012, has run a Fall Prevention Campaign to raise awareness among workers including ironworkers, steelworkers etc. and construction companies about common fall hazards in construction and how falls from ladders, scaffoldings and roofs can be prevented.
Here are the three main steps that OSHA recommends following to prevent these types of tragic incidents at construction sites:
Plan ahead for safety. When it comes to working from heights, construction companies, managing agents, building site owners and contractors, etc. must plan projects so that safety takes top priority. It is important to first decide how the job will be done, what tasks will be involved and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task. Also, the estimation of the cost of a job should include the required safety gear and all necessary tools and equipment needed at the construction site.
Provide the appropriate equipment. Workers who are six feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. In order to protect workers from serious injury or death, they must be provided with the right equipment for the job including the right kinds of ladders, scaffolds, and safety gear. Fall safety devices are critical to preventing construction accidents.
Examples of fall safety devices include personal fall arrest systems such as harnesses, with ropes or chains, guardrails, safety nets, etc. Workers should have the proper ladders available for the job. For roof work, scaffold work and ladder work, each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor must have a harness. The personal fall arrest system should also fit properly and should be regularly inspected for damage and wear and tear.
Training is critical. Every worker should be trained on the proper set-up as well as the safe operation of the equipment they handle. Building owners and managers, etc. must also train workers in recognizing hazards on the job. This vital information should be provided in a language workers can understand.
Compensation for Injured Workers
Workers who are injured in construction accidents will be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical and drug expenses and a portion of lost wages. Families that have lost loved ones in a construction accident may be able to seek death benefits. In addition, workers and their families may be able to file a third-party lawsuit for substantial money damages against a number of parties, and therefore have two sources of compensation.
Third-party claims are filed against parties other than the employer or co-employees and may include general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, managing agents, construction companies, etc. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitative treatment, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
Contacting an NYC Construction Accident Attorney
If you have suffered injuries in a construction accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker (an undocumented immigrant) who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York that year. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Construction-Worker-Falls-30-Feet-to-His-Death-in-Midtown-NYPD–510121111.html