As New York Buildings Rise, So Do the Construction Accidents
New York City is currently experiencing a building boom.听As听a听听in the New York Post听reported, the building department reportedly issued 168,243 construction permits last year, more than any other year in New York history.听听
This increase in construction projects is welcome news to the 45,242 construction workers in the city who may be looking for work. However, with this sudden increase in building, care must be taken to ensure that those same construction workers are properly trained and that all safety precautions are followed.听听
More听work permits could mean more accidents
With the great increase in construction projects this year comes an equally great increase in workplace accidents. In the first seven months of this year, there were 457 construction accidents in New York City. 469 people were injured. That is roughly 2.5 people injured on construction sites every single day from January 1st-July 31st. Of those injured, eight were fatally wounded. Many of these injuries involved objects falling on employees or construction workers falling due to improper use of safety equipment.听听听
To counteract this increase of injuries,听New York City听Mayor听Bill听de Blasio recently approved a safety requirement mandating that construction workers complete more training hours to continue working in their field.听听
Ben听Kallos,听a City Councilman on the Upper East Side,听sponsored this legislation. "Every life, injury and accident in construction is finally being counted, because they matter," he said, "We can and must do better as a city to ensure proper training, on the job experience, coupled with the right to say no to danger."听
What听to do after a construction accident
The dedicated legal team at听Pasternack, Tilker, Ziegler, Walsh, Stanton & Romano听strongly agrees with Councilman听Kallos. We are New York听workers' compensation attorneys听who have seen the devastating consequences of subpar safety practices at a worksite. Construction is not the only dangerous field of employment, but it is one of the most severe when it comes to injuries.听听
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, you may be eligible for workers' compensation benefits.听Contact us听today. We will fight to get your life听back on track.听