Federal occupational health and safety officials have slapped nearly $520,000 in fines against a developer and two contractors in New Jersey for allegedly putting construction workers at risk of electrocution at a five-story apartment building site in Paterson. According to a news release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, construction workers were on a metal scaffold less than 5 feet from high-voltage power lines when OSHA inspectors visited the site in April.
Violation of Safety Codes
OSHA stopped work on the building before allowing construction work to resume in July as long as workers were at least 11 feet from the power lines. However, when inspectors returned to the worksite 10 days later, they once again found workers dangerously close to the power lines. The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it had imposed $435,081 in penalties against the project’s developer, and $41,478 in fines against two of the subcontractors, that do carpentry and stucco work respectively.
Officials said in the announcement that the developer and the subcontractors “willfully exposed workers to potentially deadly electrocution hazards by making them work too close to energized power lines.” They also said the companies ignored warnings and a court order, putting their workers in grave danger.
No one was injured at the worksite because of the power lines. OSHA officials said they learned about the construction site safety hazard from a local power utility that contacted them. After the July shutdown, the construction project is now required to have third-party monitoring and physical barriers to make sure workers are kept safe.
Electrocution is a Serious Construction Site Hazard
Electrocution refers to death by electric shock when an individual is exposed to lethal amounts of electrical energy. It is also one of the most common causes of fatal construction accidents. Electricity flows through conductors such as wires and power lines to create a path or complete a circuit. The human body can also act like a conductor when it comes into contact with a source of electrical current as a result of exposed electrical wires or damaged equipment. Workers at construction sites must be given adequate job and safety training in a language they can understand to avoid these types of hazards.
It is the responsibility of construction companies, contractors and supervisors to ensure that workers maintain a safe distance and be aware of the location of power lines to ensure there is no accidental contact with heavy equipment, ladders, lifts, etc. If equipment such as cranes must be operated near power lines, the utility company must be contacted to de-energize and ground the lines. When working around power lines, nonconductive tools and equipment must be used and the storing of materials near power lines must be avoided, according to OSHA guidelines.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Workers who are injured in construction accidents may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits, which typically cover medical and drug expenses and a portion of lost wages. 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 thus 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.
If you have suffered injuries in a construction-related accident or as a result of hazards at a construction site, 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 for you. For over 51 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses.
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. Our law firm also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. 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, lead poisoning and medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region2/10182022