After-hours construction is supposed to be permitted only in very limited circumstances. In reality, however, more and more after-hours projects are being approved throughout New York City. The NY Post reported that 99 percent of all applications for after-hour construction work were approved last year. Night construction work requires a special variance, and the Buildings Department issued 59,895 of these variances over the course of 2015. Only a total of 142 permits were revoked and only 431 applications for a night work variance were denied.
When more construction takes place at night, workers could be extremely tired when performing their work duties. The lack of natural light could also exacerbate dangers on construction sites. Injured workers and their families should seek help from New York City construction accident lawyers, as should other victims who get hurt on night construction sites.
Increasing Construction Work at Night is Risky
There was a 24 percent increase in “rubber-stamped” permits for night construction work between 2014 and 2015. This increase is largely due to the fact the city wants more money for application fees. In 2014, the city made $21.1 million in fees for applications for after-hours construction. In 2015, there was a 20 percent increase in the amount of money coming in and the city made $25.3 million.
The problem is this: night construction is only good for the city’s budget. It is not a good thing for workers or for those nearby a construction site. Permits for night construction allow work after 6:00 PM and before 7:00 AM on weekdays, and also allow for work to be done on weekends. In many cases, when the permits are issued, construction work is performed ‘round-the-clock. Neighbors have called night work an “indescribable nightmare” because heavy machines are run all night.
While interrupted sleep is a hassle for neighbors (and the city doesn’t seem very responsive to noise complaints), there is also a very serious risk to those performing work on these construction sites.
Past research has shown that shift workers who work at night do not ever fully adjust to being as alert at night as they should be. Safety & Health, for example, reported that nightshift workers performed much more poorly on driving tests when they had worked a shift the night before as compared to when they had gotten a full night sleep. Even people who have long been shift workers do not perform as well when they don’t get a full night sleep, which suggests the body is never fully able to adapt to such an unusual schedule.
When workers are overtired on construction sites because they are being required to work on overnight construction projects, these workers are much more likely to make a mistake that endangers them or causes others to be hurt. When running heavy machinery, especially, there is a tremendous safety threat if construction workers have to do their jobs in the middle of the night.
If a worker gets hurt on-the-job, he can get help from New York injury attorneys to pursue a workers’ compensation case, regardless of any negligence or wrongdoing on the employer’s part. Injured workers should explore their options for making claims if they are hurt on nighttime construction sites. Call Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff today for help with your case.
