On Behalf of Palacios Law Group |
In early March, a construction worker died, and three others sustained injuries when a building wall collapsed during the demolition of a three-story commercial building in Lower Manhattan. The recent incident highlights the dangers faced daily by workers in the construction industry.
Debris trapped the construction worker who died after the wall and scaffolding collapsed. Two other workers landed atop the rubble and another construction worker sustained injuries.
Site issued earlier for safety violations
In February, New York officials issued the site with five safety violations, including one connected with overloading. Sometimes, construction sites become more dangerous due to the overloading of supplies such as equipment, scaffolding and concrete blocks.
In this demolition case, a city official said overloaded debris in the work area led to the collapse of a floor beam. This instability may have led to the collapse of the wall and scaffolding.
More than 950 construction workers died in 2021
This incident in Lower Manhattan highlights two of the “Focus Four Hazards” that annually lead to nearly 60% of fatalities among construction workers. In this case, falls and struck by an object. (The other two Focus Four Hazards are electrocution and being caught in or between something.)
In 2021, a total of 951 construction and extraction workers died on the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This group represented 18.3% of the 5,190 people who sustained fatal work-related injuries.
Employer responsibility
If a construction site has known problems, the employer should have been aware and notified its workers. It is the employer’s responsibility to protect its workers in ways that would include providing training, the proper protective gear and alerting them to any known or possible problems in a work area.
Seek legal advice
Injured construction workers may face costly medical treatment, weeks or months away from work to recover and lost income. If you are a construction injured on the job, seek legal advice. You just may gain compensation.