Two workers were injured in a construction site accident in the Bronx when part of a building that they were working on collapsed the afternoon of Sept. 8. According to a News12 report, the collapse occurred at 477 Willis Avenue in Mott Haven as crews were working to expand a vacant one-story building into two stories. Building inspectors said workers were doing masonry work on a stairway when a joist on the second floor collapsed into the cellar. Police initially reported that bricks fell from a wall and caused scaffolding to collapse.
A 28-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man working at the site were taken to Lincoln Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One witness told the news outlet that the workers were covered in dust, but appeared to be alive when rescuers took them away. We wish them the very best for a speedy recovery. The incident is reportedly under investigation by the city’s Department of Buildings and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Violations and Safety Problems at the Site
After inspecting the site, the DOB found several safety problems, they said. Inspectors said there was no site safety plan or a worker safety meeting that is required under the law. They said they also found improperly maintained scaffolding, an inadequate exit and no overhead protection for a neighboring property. According to inspectors, the contractor also failed to notify the Buildings Department about excavation work.
The city issued a full stop-work order, which means no construction can continue for now. The contractor will be required to fix all pending violations and submit a report explaining how workers and nearby properties will be protected going forward before they can resume work again, the report said.
Construction Site Safety Violations
Construction sites across New York City can present serious risks to workers, pedestrians and others nearby. When contractors, property owners/managers, or other responsible parties fail to follow required safety regulations, accidents can result in devastating injuries. Such injuries may include head injuries, spinal cord trauma, multiple fractures, internal organ injuries or even death.
Common construction site safety violations may include inadequate fall protection, unsafe scaffolding, missing guardrails, improperly secured ladders, dangerous electrical conditions, failure to provide appropriate protective equipment, etc. In New York, certain construction protections are particularly important in cases involving falls and other elevation-related accidents. Depending on the circumstances, violations of New York Labor Law may provide an injured worker with important legal protections.
New York Labor Law §240, commonly known as the Scaffold Law, protects workers performing certain construction, demolition, repair, alteration, painting and cleaning work where elevation-related hazards exist. It requires owners, contractors and their agents to provide properly constructed and operated safety devices including scaffolds, ladders, hoists, ropes and other protective equipment. The law imposes a particularly strict standard of liability for injuries caused by inadequate protection against elevation-related risks, subject to statutory exceptions, including certain one- and two-family homeowners. Section 240 also establishes specific scaffold safety requirements, including railings and load-bearing standards.
After a construction accident, determining what went wrong can be critical. Evidence such as photographs, inspection records, safety plans, witness statements and accident reports may help establish whether required safety measures were followed. Responsibility in such cases can involve not just the worker’s employer, but other involved parties such as contractors, subcontractors, property owners/managers, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, the very 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. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact a very experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
For over 54 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. Also, we got $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an unguarded hole.
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, negligence cases, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, trip-and-fall accidents, ceiling collapse cases, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy 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://longisland.news12.com/work-stopped-at-bronx-construction-site-after-collapse-injures-2-workers