On behalf of Smiley & Smiley, LLP posted in Construction Accidents on Sunday, May 4, 2014.
Today marks the beginning of this year’s North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. This observance will continue through May 10. Although the keynote presentation tied to this observance will be held in Washington D.C. later this week, New Yorkers can certainly honor this important week in their own ways.
North American Occupational Safety and Health Week can serve as inspiration for both employers and workers to revisit important safety training material and to educate themselves about newly pressing safety issues within the American labor force.
For example, several New Yorkers have already perished in 2014 as a result of construction accidents. If construction site managers in New York embrace the opportunities provided by this week and choose to refresh various pieces of safety information with their workers and to ensure that all necessary safety equipment is properly stocked and maintained, perhaps the population of NYC will not be forced to suffer another preventable construction-related casualty for the remainder of the year.
In addition, it is worth contemplating one of the pressing themes of this year’s observance. On May 7, members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other industry safety experts will be hosting a presentation in Washington D.C. entitled “The Human Cost of Cheap Labor.” We have previously written about the fact that construction workers in New York who are low-paying contractors tend to be placed at a higher risk of accidents than other workers are. As a result, it is vitally important that employers, workers and safety experts sufficiently educate themselves about this issue and seek out viable solutions to the risks that these workers tend to face uniquely.
Source: Occupational Health & Safety, “Workforce Sustainability Forum Highlights NAOSH Week,” April 24, 2014
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