The construction industry is a dangerous one and employees within this field face a substantial risk of being hurt on the job or of being killed at work. It is important for workers to reach out to New York City construction accident lawyers to understand what their rights are if an injury happens. Workers may also wish to be aware of news and developments regarding safety in the construction field. Just recently, for example, Occupational Health & Safety published a summary of important milestones and developments that occurred in the construction industry over the course of 2015 and 2016.
A Look at Construction Safety News in 2015 and 2016
In the construction industry, there are 6.5 million workers nationwide. These workers face many substantial risks, with OSHA identifying some of the biggest dangers as falls, scaffolding collapses, trench collapses, and electric shock.
In 2016, efforts were made to draw attention to the importance of fall prevention. One such effort involved a National Safety Stand-Down campaign, which included the hashtag #StandDown4Safety. The hashtag and event promoted the importance of fall prevention and publicized the fact that 337 of the 874 deaths in the construction industry in 2014 happened as a direct result of falls occurring. More than 2.5 million workers were reached by the national stand down, and the goal next year is to reach 5 million workers.
Also in 2016, a crane collapse in New York city occurred, injuring three and killing a man who was walking to work. This tragic accident drew more attention to the substantial risks when cranes are used under windy conditions, as the collapse happened as a result of a heavy gust of wind. Following the crane collapse, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a campaign to try to increase safety on NY construction sites. As construction has increased by 300 percent in New York since 2009, there has been a 98 percent increase in construction accidents within the city, so this campaign was long overdue.
De Blasio’s new campaign has changed the rules for many building projects. Previously, a construction superintendent was required only if a new construction project was 10 stories or greater. Now, all major construction projects require a superintendent, even if they do not exceed 10 stories.
This shift is an important one, because around 70 percent of construction accidents in New York which occurred in 2015 happened on construction sites which were less than 10 stories. The duties of construction superintendents were also expanded by the changes to regulations, as superintendents are now required to designate someone to provide full-time safety supervision. Hopefully, this will help to reduce the number of construction workers in New York who are seriously hurt or killed on-the-job.
If you are one of the many workers who faces injury or illness because of your job in construction, you need to know what your rights are. Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff should be consulted for assistance if you need help making a claim for benefits after an injury occurs or an illness develops because of your job.