INJURY LAW BLOG

Relevant & Important Information About Personal Injury Law So You Can Be In The Know

Tort claims possible for death or injury at construction sites

Posted by Smiley & Smiley on Mar 2, 2016 12:50:48 PM

The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) has reported that its analysis of 2015 construction data shows that the construction industry contributed a full fifth of occupational deaths in the city, but the industry consisted of only four percent of total employment. Throughout the state, figures showed that the greatest numbers of fatalities and injuries were to undocumented immigrants and to non-union workers. Construction sites that were associated with the city's building boom had a dramatic increase in injury and fatality rates.

The increasing numbers of injuries and deaths of construction workers, mostly immigrant laborers, far exceeded the rate of new construction, according to a New York Times investigation.  NYCOSH reports that from 2010 through 2012, two-thirds of the inspections conducted by OSHA included citations for "serious" safety violations. NYCOSH also blames the city for allowing unsafe contractors to work in the city. A full 89 percent of those contractors who worked on affordable housing projects for the city had OSHA violations.

There is a push that is now being accelerated to beef up regulatory monitoring and penalties in the city. However, real estate interests are protesting the tightening of safety requirements, with arguments that this might slow down their projects and have a negative economic impact on the city. In any event, victims of construction accidents are well advised to seek the services of an experienced construction injury law firm in New York City. The great majority of the injuries and deaths are compensable by monetary damages from one or more sources.

Work injuries are initially funded by the statutory benefits provided by workers' compensation insurance. However, workers seriously injured or killed in construction accidents caused by third-party negligence are often entitled to collect monetary compensation over and above workers' compensation benefits. Pedestrians injured near construction sites by the contractor's negligence are generally entitled to full tort damages, but this is a determination that is best made in consultation with a personal injury attorney who handles New York City construction accident claims.

Source: thenation.com, "Construction Is Dangerous Work", Michelle Chen, Feb. 26, 2016

Topics: Construction Accidents

Share this article...

CONTACT US
To learn about our settlements, verdicts and case results, click below:
CLICK HERE

Subscribe To Newsletter

RECENT POSTS

POPUAR TAGS

see all