Worker Installing Solar Panel on Queens Home Suffers Fatal Fall

 A 60-year-old man died in a construction accident after he fell from the roof of a Queens home where he was installing solar panels. According to an AMNY.com news report, the man was working on the roof of a two-story home on 50th Avenue, between 94th Street and Junction Boulevard in Corona the morning of Oct. 19 when he fell. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The New York City Department of Buildings confirmed that it had issued a permit for the installation of solar panels at the location for a company called Sunrun. After this fatal accident, the department issued a stop-work order and partial vacate order due to illegal occupancy of the cellar and attic. Sunrun told AMNY.com that the deceased man was doing work for the company and was a certified electrician. The company also issued a statement saying that they are working with the authorities and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the investigation.

Danger of Falls and Other Hazards
Solar is a growing sector for green energy and green jobs. However, workers who install and maintain solar panels do face a number of safety hazards. Workers in the solar energy industry are potentially exposed to a variety of dangers, such as arc flashes (which include arc flash burn and blast hazards), electric shock, falls, and thermal burn hazards that can cause injury and death.
Workers who install and/or maintain solar panels often work on roofs, ladders and scaffolding. They are routinely on ledges and sunroofs and are exposed to fall hazards. As more solar panels are installed onto the surface of a roof, the walking area available to workers is subsequently reduced. This may force workers to walk very close to skylights or roof hatches. To safeguard workers from these potential fall hazards, they must be provided with personal fall protection devices.
OSHA requires that construction workers involved in the installation of solar panels and exposed to fall distances of 6 feet or more must be protected from falls by using guardrail systems, safety nets and other personal fall arrest systems. Solar panels should be safely lifted to the rooftops and workers should never be allowed to climb ladders while carrying the panels. Lifting equipment such as ladder hoists, swing hoists or truck-mounted cranes, should be used whenever possible. If such a railing is not available, they should be protected by a personal fall arrest system or a safety net.
Solar energy workers may require safety glasses, hard hats, gloves, respirators, or other personal protective equipment to protect against injuries and illnesses. Workers exposed to potential electrical hazards must be provided with appropriate electrical protective equipment. The electrical protective equipment must be maintained in a safe and reliable operating condition. All protective equipment must be periodically inspected and tested.
Injuries and Compensation
Falls from roofs may result in catastrophic or even fatal injuries. Examples of serious injuries that workers can suffer in falls include, but are not limited to, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, multiple broken bones, joint injuries, strains and sprains, internal organ injuries, etc. These injuries are often debilitating and disabling. They may prevent a worker from returning to work in the long term or even prevent him or her from earning a livelihood. Those who return to work may require lengthy rehabilitation and costly physical therapy to recover from their injuries.
Workers who are injured on the job can seek workers’ compensation benefits. In addition, they may also be able to file a third-party claim against a party other than the employer or co-employees, who may have caused or contributed to the worker’s injury. This allows victims and families to have two sources of compensation available for their losses. Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, sub-contractors, building owners, property owners, property managers etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured 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.
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 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.
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.amny.com/news/construction-accident-queens-1.14549745