We know that ladder and scaffold accidents are a major cause of injury at construction sites around the country. We also know that New York has one of the strictest scaffold laws on the books. But how does this really affect safety on the job? The Construction Industry Partnership (CIP) has published a paper called “Construction Safety: A Tale of Two Cities” that really gives us some clues to some of the realities around construction in and around the five boroughs.
Some Statistics
This report shows, for example, that 62% of all victims in a critical survey were of Hispanic origin and 70% of fatalities from October 2001 to September 2002 were on non-union construction sites. It also found that lack of safety training and supervision were major factors in work accidents and that language barriers often apply.
These facts work to support a more general intuitive understanding that some of the most vulnerable workers are those who don’t fully understand the English language in which operations manuals, required site postings and other materials are written. They may not understand critical rules for equipment use, their rights under the law, or how an employer is trying to communicate vital pieces of information to them.
The Two Cities
Taking a page from Charles Dickens, the paper also looks at how one of the major problems in NYC construction involves a ‘shadow industry’ in which work is done largely off the books. CIP calls this the ‘tale of two cities’ — one where jobs are done in a controlled and regulated environment and another where things like building permits are ignored and work is pursued out of reach of regulators.
There’s also a long list of injuries and supplementary information about how and when they occur. As for solutions, CIP suggests mandatory safety training requirements, government task forces to supervise the industry, more insurance and tax filing requirements, more job and alcohol testing, and a unified reporting system for construction accidents.
What we’ve learned is that New York jobsite safety often depends on communications and the general environment in which the work takes place. That’s true whether or not scaffolding is involved, whether the job falls under the scope of state laws like NY Labor Law 240, and whether all safety precautions have been taken.
Looking at resources like this, it’s easy to understand just how much risk people take on when they enter the local construction workforce. It’s important to understand these risks and to try to work with companies to make jobsites safer. When injuries and fatalities do occur, personal injury lawyers work with their clients to protect the victims and their families, but they also seek to send a message to companies that negligence and lack of proper safety is punishable by law.
RMFW: A New York City Catastrophic Injury Law Firm At Your Service
If you have suffered an injury at a site in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, or anywhere in the New York City area, take time to talk to the Law Offices of Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff. Our lawyers are dedicated to helping injured victims and their families evaluate their legal options. We help our clients pursue compensation to deal with medical bills and more. Ask us about getting justice after a work accident.