Workers Escape Injury after Scaffolding Collapse in Chelsea

No one was injured after a scaffolding collapse closed West 14th Street in Chelsea. According to an ABC News report, the six-story scaffolding came crashing down for an unknown reason. No injuries were immediately reported. Officials say West 14th Street was closed between Seventh and Eighth avenues. An investigation is ongoing.
It is indeed fortunate that there were no injuries due to this scaffolding collapse. It appears that there were no workers on the scaffold at it came crashing down six stories. Had someone been on that scaffold, it is likely to have resulted in serious or catastrophic injuries, or even fatalities.
This incident draws our attention once again to the importance of scaffolding safety on construction sites. Scaffolding collapse is one of the leading causes for serious injury construction accidents. There are many types of problems that can cause a scaffolding to give way. Loose scaffolding, poorly constructed scaffolds, or a defective product can lead to a collapse.
In 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 88 fatalities in the year 2007 as a result of scaffolds and staging accidents. About 72 percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object. Employers, in addition to making sure that the scaffolding is constructed and maintained properly, must provide workers with fall safety devices such as harnesses any time they are required to work at an elevation. Under OSHA regulations, for the construction industry, any time a worker is at an elevation of 6 feet, he or she should be equipped with fall safety devices.
In cases where a construction worker is injured in a scaffolding accident, he or she can seek workers compensation benefits from his or her employer. In some cases, a third-party claim may also be filed against a party, other than the employer, and whose negligence caused or contributed to the incident. Examples of third parties include, but are not limited to, general contractors, sub-contractors, property owners, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, the experienced New York personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can provide you with more information about pursuing your legal rights. Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case verdicts in New York in 2010. Please contact us at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in 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 phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
www.work4youlaw.com
Source: ABC News