New York’s Scaffold Law Originally enacted in 1885, New York’s Scaffold Law (NY Labor Law Section 240) aims to protect construction workers from unsafe conditions. This law, unique to New York, imposes absolute liability on general contractors and property owners for gravity-related accidents, i.e. falling accidents, when the contractor or property owner is at least … Continued

Traumatic Brain Injuries and Construction Accidents in NY Given the nature of the work performed in the construction industry, workplace accidents commonly result when workers fall off scaffolding or other related structures or objects used in construction, such as tools and debris, inadvertently fall on workers. When either event occurs, construction workers are often only … Continued

Overlooked Causes of Construction Accidents in New York There are many inherent risks that construction workers take each time they go to work. Because of these inherent risks, most construction workers take care to prevent and avoid common causes of accidents at construction sites, such as ladder mishaps or slip and fall incidents. While taking … Continued

Javits Center Construction Site Accident Closes West Side Highway in NY In early September, the Javits Center in Hell’s Kitchen was the scene of a construction accident involving a beam that closed part of the West Side Highway for hours. The incident, which occurred around 10 a.m. on the morning of September 11, 2018, forced … Continued

Construction Worker Killed in Brooklyn Wall Collapse A wall collapse at a construction site in Brooklyn on September 12 claimed the life of a construction worker. The incident occurred at around 1:30 in the afternoon and led to hundreds of firefighters frantically trying to rescue the worker. The wall collapsed on top of a trench … Continued

Tips for Preventing Construction Site Trench Collapses in NY Trenches are a common part of many construction sites. They are also incredibly dangerous. It takes just seconds for an unprotected trench to collapse and cave in on itself, trapping victims inside. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a trench as a man-made cavity … Continued

New York Road Construction Site Fatalities on the Rise The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) recently released new statistics that show that fatalities at road construction sites are on the rise. Between the years of 2011 and 2016, the number of fatalities at road construction sites was 532. That is more than twice … Continued

Housing Boom in New York City Leading to Increase in Construction Accidents According to statistics released by the New York City Buildings Department, eight people were killed in construction accidents in the first seven months of 2018. This is compared to just four deaths in the same time period in 2017. The deaths have doubled, … Continued