Construction workers in New York can face daily dangers on the job. Whether digging deep tunnels underground or constructing the newest towering building, construction work often involves heavy materials, complex machinery and unfinished structures. These inherent dangers can be greatly intensified when defective equipment is used or when a contractor violates safety standards in the workplace. Across the board, construction fatalities show a rising trend; from 2011 to 2015, the number of workers killed in construction accidents rose 26 percent.
The rise in deaths due to construction site accidents has involved increasing numbers of certain types of accidents. For example, the Center for Construction Research and Training says that fatal accidents in which construction workers were caught between or inside an object rose by 33 percent during those same four years. Older workers and those under 20 years of age were most likely to lose their lives; approximately 67 percent were killed by falling materials of some kind. In addition, 800 workers lost their lives being struck by equipment or objects on the job. Of those, 18 percent were hit by a vehicle and 51 percent of the fatalities were caused by falling equipment or other objects.
One safety report advises using more detailed orientations and site safety committees among other proactive measures. The authors of the report argue that these kinds of measures can reduce construction accidents by 85 percent and make a company up to 670 percent safer than the average in the industry.
Construction site accidents can lead to life-long disabilities and even death as well as costly medical bills and an inhibited ability to work. Workers who have been hurt on their construction site due to safety violations or defective equipment that does not function properly may speak with a personal injury lawyer to pursue compensation for the harms done.