These days, a lot of companies, especially those in white-collar or information-based job fields, are developing a variety of comprehensive health and wellness programs for their employees. There are legitimate reasons to do this. Wellness programs can decrease health benefit payouts, and contribute to better productivity. But in the “other” world (the world of construction), workers tend to sneer at these kinds of programs — and we know why.
The reason is because before you can focus on things like hypertension and diabetes, you have to focus on things like pathway safety, secure equipment, and eye, hand and head safety. You have to eliminate most of the risks of “hard” injuries like back injuries, soft tissue damage and brain trauma. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes nonsensical.
Construction workers know that companies too often put workers at risk through neglecting key safety precautions that are ‘job one’ in terms of worker health. So it doesn’t really make sense to push for wellness programs in these rough trade industries until there’s 100% job safety across the board.
Most Common Types of Construction Injuries
Some of the most common types of construction job injuries need to be addressed before employers generally consider themselves focused on worker health and safety. One common occurrence involves ladder and scaffold injuries. New York State has one of the toughest ladder and scaffold laws in the country, but it doesn’t prevent numerous injuries and fatalities each year from falls. Slip and fall accidents are also common because of various obstacles in a pathway or incorrect job site maintenance. Materials and equipment injuries are also common where workers don’t have the right personal protective equipment, work equipment isn’t maintained correctly, or the materials are stored or used in unsafe ways.
You could say that a basic ‘wellness program’ for construction workers involves providing the right safety equipment, including goggles, gloves, harnesses and work boots. You could say that this type of program would focus a lot more on jobsite safety than it would on what’s going on inside people’s bodies naturally. Yes, companies can do both at the same time — and they should. They should encourage workers to monitor their own health to have better health outcomes and to lighten the load on the business’s health insurance policies.
Still, they should never put this kind of thing before comprehensive job site safety because even in today’s modern world, workers in New York and other states all too often get injured or even killed because of carelessness and tragic accidents that could have been prevented with common-sense safety precautions.
Contact a New York City Back Injury Law Firm as Soon as Possible
If you or someone in your family was injured in a construction accident in the New York City area, call the experienced injury lawyers at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff. Let us help you pursue the best chance at compensation for injuries, including money for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. We’ll help you fight for your family’s rights under New York law.
