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Category: Construction Accidents

Top 5 Safety Tips for Construction Workers

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Top 5 Safety Tips for Construction Workers

Construction workers build the country—literally—but they also put life and limb on the line. It’s no secret that this industry has one of the highest rates of fatal accidents and serious injuries, and it certainly doesn’t help that not all construction companies are scrupulous in following safety requirements.

Because of the serious risks involved, construction workers are urged to take matters into their own hands by carefully following safety tips.

#1 Stay focused and aware

It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the most important safety steps you can take doesn’t have anything to do with Job site safety. Fatigued construction workers are much more likely to become injured employees, and so your first safety tip is simply to get enough sleep each night. Getting enough quality sleep will help you stay focused on your work and aware of what’s going on around you, and less likely to have an accident.

#2 Keep your work area clear

Next to you, you should only have the tools and materials you need for the task at hand and nothing more. It’s easy to trip over tools, especially when you’re focused on what you’re doing. Keeping your work area tidy is particularly important when you’re working at height. Many construction workers in New York suffer serious and potentially fatal injuries because of accidents that occur on scaffolding.

#3 Wear personal protective equipment

Employers have a duty to ensure that every construction worker is properly equipped with personal protective equipment, and that they know how to use it and when to wear it. But reality doesn’t always align with safety guidelines. If your employer isn’t providing you with the PPE you need, you shouldn’t hesitate to speak up and request it. If you need to purchase it yourself, it may be tax-deductible. Having appropriate PPE is only half the battle. When you’re in a rush to get a job done by the deadline, it might be tempting to skip going back down the scaffolding to grab protective eye goggles or a dust mask. Remind yourself that your health is more important than a deadline.

#4 Check your tools

Even top-of-the-line tools are prone to damage. Don’t assume that, just because your nail gun or compound miter saw worked fine last time, that it automatically will the next time too. Check the electrical cord for signs of fraying or other damage (and make sure it’s not anywhere near water!), and examine the rest of it for potential problems. Don’t use tools that you suspect might be unsafe.

#5 Become buddies with your doctor

It’s considered standard practice for construction workers to try to tough out an injury or illness. But continuing to work after you’ve torn a rotator cuff or inflamed a bursa sac will definitely make the problem worse. Find a primary care physician you feel comfortable with, and get little issues checked out before they turn into potentially disabling conditions.

New York construction injury attorneys

Construction workers who suffer serious injuries on the job site need strong legal advocates on their side. Aronova & Associates invites you to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with one of our construction accident lawyers in New York.

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Aronova & Associates is a firm for all New Yorkers. Our services are available in multiple languages and tailored to the needs of every client.  The first step in providing you with the help you need is a free consultation to discuss your case. When you’re ready to talk, we’re ready to get to work for you.

 

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4 Causes of Scaffold Injuries on Construction Sites

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4 Causes of Scaffold Injuries on Construction Sites

At some point during their work history, almost two thirds of the nation’s 2.3 million construction workers will perform tasks on or near a scaffold. According to Department of Labor statistics, more than 4500 construction workers will suffer scaffold-related injuries annually, and those injuries will lead to roughly sixty fatalities every year.

The NYC & Long Island construction injury lawyers at Aronova & Associates hope that construction workers can reduce their risk of injury from scaffold accidents by understanding the common causes of those accidents. If, however, a scaffold accident does lead to an injury or fatality in New York City or on Long Island, our attorneys will work tirelessly to recover damages for construction workers injured due to an employer’s or someone else’s negligence.

Through our many years of experience in representing workers that have been hurt on scaffolds at construction sites, we see the same four common causes of those injuries.

Scaffolds that are Erected Improperly

A scaffold with improperly-secured planking, loose guard rails, or worn connection hardware is prone to failure, leaving workers exposed to injuries from falls. Scaffolds should always be erected, inspected, and tested by qualified technicians before construction workers use them. A job site manager that is anxious to keep a construction project on schedule might be tempted to rush these tasks, in which case construction workers might be forced to assume greater safety risks when working on those scaffolds.

Objects that Fall from Scaffolds

Tools, construction equipment, and other materials should always be fully secured when they are used on elevated scaffolds. A heavy object that is dropped from even a short elevation can gain enough momentum during a fall to cause serious injuries if that object strikes a construction worker who is at ground level. Construction companies that fail to provide adequate retaining straps and other mechanisms may be found to be negligent if that failure is a proximate cause of a dropped object that hits and injures another construction worker.

Electric Shocks from Contacts with Power Lines

Metal scaffolding conducts electricity. Construction sites might not always have an option of erecting scaffolding far away from power lines, but if that risk is present, managers need to take extra precautions to shield scaffolding from accidental contact with those lines. Electrocution risks for workers on those scaffolds will be significantly greater if the metal scaffolding creates a grounding path for an electrical arc.

Inadequate Worker Training in Scaffold Usage

Courtroom interpretations of New York Labor Law Section 240 (commonly called the ”Scaffold Law”) prevent a construction company from using a contributory negligence defense against claims for compensation under that Section. This does not suggest, however, that construction workers can disregard their own safety when they work on or near scaffolds. More appropriately, construction companies should offer regular training sessions for their employees in the proper way to perform construction job tasks on scaffolds, including the best ways to secure safety harnesses and to climb onto and off of scaffolds. Construction workers that do not receive adequate training will increase their own risks as well as the risks of their co-workers.

Aronova & Associates: Your New York Construction Scaffolding Accident Lawyers

The lawyers at Aronova & Associates regularly represent construction workers injured on scaffolds in Manhattan and throughout the five boroughs, as well as Nassau County and throughout Log Island. In addition to removing the contributory negligence defense, New York’s Scaffold Law also allows injured workers to sue for pain and suffering, and other remedies not normally found in workers’ compensation claims. We use every tool available in our and the State’s legal toolkit to recover the largest damages awards that may be available for our construction worker clients.

Please call Aronova & Associates as soon as possible after you have suffered a construction site scaffold injury to speak with one of our experienced attorneys, who will guide you through the process of how we can help you recover a complete damages award to compensate for your injuries.

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Aronova & Associates is a firm for all New Yorkers. Our services are available in multiple languages and tailored to the needs of every client.  The first step in providing you with the help you need is a free consultation to discuss your case. When you’re ready to talk, we’re ready to get to work for you.

 

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Crane Accidents Happen

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How Crane Accidents Happen

Crane accidents were responsible for 22 deaths last year, reports the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA). Electricians, construction workers, brazers and welders are the occupations at highest risk for serious injury and fatality.

Despite improved safety regulations and protocols for crane operation in various industries, these accidents occur with alarming frequency in areas where construction is booming. Tower cranes, overhead cranes, mobile cranes and rail-mounted cranes pose serious hazards for not only their operators, but those working around them.

According to recent OSHA crane accident analysis, some of the most common causes include:

  • Boom collapses
  • Dropped cargo
  • Overturned cranes
  • Equipment malfunction or failure
  • Contact with active power lines resulting in electrocution
  • Falls
  • Caught in between accidents
  • Struck-by crane loads/booms or jibs
  • Crushing by counter weight

How do crane accidents happen?

The following crane accident reports are taken directly from published OSHA data. All of these fatal incidents took place on private or public construction sites.  The reports provide insight into the mechanics of crane accidents on building sites, and the great dangers faced by workers and crane operators.

  • A crane operator was lifting a steel beam when it broke loose and tumbled four stories, crushing the operator’s compartment. The employee suffered fatal injuries from the impact of the steel beam.
  • An employee was unloading materials from a delivery truck using a mobile crane. The crane operator was guiding a load when the crane contacted an energized overhead power line. The employee was electrocuted and died.
  • An employee was removing old network protectors from an electrical system vault. He was standing at the ground-level opening of the vault and signaled a boom truck operator to pick up a grate he had attached to the crane’s hook. The grate gave way as the crane began to pick up a second piece of grating, causing the employee to fall 23 feet. He suffered multiple head, facial and extremity fractures in addition to internal injuries.
  • An employee was replacing filters on a step-down transformer using a mobile crane. The employee came into contact with 4,160 volts and was killed.
  • An employee was helping a co-worker set up a hook tender. The stump that was being used as an anchor point flew up, releasing the tension on the skyline. The employee was instantly killed when he was struck by the concrete stump and the skyline.
  • An employee was moving a gravel shaker table with a Link Belt mobile crane. The crane tipped over, crushing the crane cab and the employee. The employee sustained multiple internal injuries and died.

Most New Yorkers remember the TriBeca crane collapse in 2016 that killed one passerby and severely injured two others. High winds were initially blamed for the incident, that sent the 600-foot crane boom crashing down in lower Manhattan, but further investigations revealed that the crane operator made serious mistakes. Authorities determined that in his rush to lower the boom quickly, the operator ignored procedures regarding inclement weather.

Unfortunately, fines for unsafe construction crane operation do little to hold companies into account. In the event of catastrophic injury or death, liability may rest with the construction company, contractors, sub-contractors or the equipment manufacturer.

Construction accident lawyers serving New York

Aronova & Associates has in-depth experience litigating construction accident and workplace injury claims in New York. When OSHA crane safety guidelines are violated, defective equipment fails or procedures are ignored, crane accident victims and their loved ones may be entitled to compensation. We are dedicated to achieving the legal recovery your family needs and deserves.

Speak with a results-driven construction accident lawyer at our firm to explore your legal rights. Call (516) 640-3900 to schedule your free case review.

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Aronova & Associates is a firm for all New Yorkers. Our services are available in multiple languages and tailored to the needs of every client.  The first step in providing you with the help you need is a free consultation to discuss your case. When you’re ready to talk, we’re ready to get to work for you.

 

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5 Most Dangerous Jobs on a Construction Site

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5 Most Dangerous Jobs on a Construction Site

Construction site safety has increased exponentially over the past seventy-five years. Notwithstanding those improvements, construction workers experience a disproportionately high number of workplace injuries and fatalities.

The first step toward improving safety at a construction site is to identify the highest risk jobs and to raise awareness among the men and women who perform those jobs. The NYC construction accident attorneys at Aronova & Associates have represented workers in Manhattan, Nassau County, and throughout the five boroughs & Long Island for many years. Our experience and reports from government work-safety regulatory bodies consistently show that five jobs at every construction site expose workers to the highest risk of injury.

Jobs that place a worker at a high elevation

Any construction job that requires workers to perform tasks at elevations, including construction of high-rise buildings, roofing, and exterior masonry above a ground floor, exposes those workers to injuries from falls due to weak safety harnesses or improper use of those harnesses. Further, a dropped tool or a falling piece of material can strike and injure workers that are on the ground below a work area.

Working with high-voltage or high-power electrical lines and equipment

One misstep with overhead power lines, cable harnesses, transformers, and circuit assemblies can kill or maim a construction worker in a split second. Electricians have the training and knowledge to reduce those risks, but other workers around a construction job site may not have the same level of awareness. OSHA standards require employers to teach all employees to recognize and avoid dangerous electrical conditions at all constriction job sites.

Working with heavy equipment

Heavy equipment operators are usually shielded in reinforced cages, but workers near that equipment face a heightened risk of injury. Even with backup alarms and other systems that alert workers of equipment movement, those warning sounds can get lost amidst the noise and level of activity at a construction site. Workers can suffer injuries by getting pinned between a moving piece of equipment and a fixed object, or by being struck by construction materials that are being manipulated by the equipment.

Working in tight or confined spaces

Confined spaces include, for example, narrow culverts that can collapse if they are not properly stabilized, poorly-ventilated storage tanks, and small building enclosures that can trap a worker when construction materials shift or equipment blocks entrances.  Construction sites should be managed to allow proper egress from tight spaces at all times and to provide good ventilation and air supplies to enclosed tanks.    

Demolition jobs

Demolition jobs combine all of the high risk construction site jobs into a single category.  Large structures that are being demolished can require workers to perform functions at high elevations. Those structures might have old electrical wires or systems that, when exposed, can create electrical shock risks. Demolition experts routinely use heavy equipment, and find themselves in confined areas with greater-than normal dust levels. In addition, demolition jobs on older structures can expose workers to hazardous materials, such as asbestos or carcinogenic chemicals, all of which require special training for safe disposal.

New York Construction Accident Lawyers: Aronova & Associates

The attorneys at Aronova & Associates appreciate the construction site safety procedures that have been implemented over the past several years to keep workers safe. When construction workers suffer injuries due to inadequate safety procedures or exposure to inherently risky situations, they should get the compensation they need for rehabilitation from those injuries and lost wages. Call Aronova & Associates today to speak with one of our construction accident lawyers. All initial consultations are free of charge.

Contact Us

Ready to Work for You

Aronova & Associates is a firm for all New Yorkers. Our services are available in multiple languages and tailored to the needs of every client.  The first step in providing you with the help you need is a free consultation to discuss your case. When you’re ready to talk, we’re ready to get to work for you.

 

Phone

(516) 640-3900

Hours

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Disclaimer: The submission of our contact form does not form an attorney-client relationship. You may not rely upon this information as legal advice.