Scaffold Dangers in New York - Who is Watching Out Overhead? Lawrence Saftler Discusses the Importance of a City Initiative to Check on What's Happening Over Our Heads

New York, New York (PRWEB) June 15, 2012

Scaffolds are everywhere in the City of New York. If there isn't a new building going up, there is a renovation or other form of construction going on almost every block or two. With construction, renovation or simply maintenance and upkeep, inevitably, up goes a scaffold. Who is responsible for their safety and to make sure they comply with code is the subject of this article.

The first party that would be responsible would be the party who built the scaffold, but there are others who must oversee what they do, make sure they comply with code and that they are safe. A general contractor may have hired the builder of the scaffold, there may be a safety director at the worksite and, of course, the building owner does not leave it's responsibilty behind simply because they are not doing the work.

Further, the City of New York's Building Department oversees, licenses and grants permits for all scaffolds that are placed on its streets and have in the past, made sweeps, such as in 2008, when they instituted their Safety Analysis and Field Evaluation (SAFE) Scaffold and Shed Initiative. They conducted a citywide inspection sweep of more than 1500 properties with supported scaffold and sidewalk sheds

Lawrence Saftler, an Attorney with considerable experience in Construction Accidents concerning scaffolds commented, based upon the large number of scaffolds present today within the City of New York, that "it would be advisable for the City to do another sweep as it did in 2008 due to the large number of scaffolds there are around the City, especially when you consider the fact that some of them are causing serious injuries to pedestrians and workers lately".

Recently, as reported in the New York Daily News, a 72 year old pedestrian was injured when a sidewalk shed collapsed on her. There are many other scaffold accidents which have been occurring in addition and it remains important for the City to be vigilant in their safety inspections, that the general contractors overseeing the worksite make sure their subcontractors and their employees are well trained.
To review the current rules and regulations regarding scaffolds and sheds within the City of New York, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/safety/scaffold_shed_safety.shtml.

The Saftler Law Firm, established over 30 years ago, has always been an advocate for personal injury victims injured at worksite and construction sites as well as other injury victims. Always on the side of the injured victim, Mr. Saftler has been the recipient of numerous high settlements, verdicts, and awards, including a ten million dollar verdict for a fall down victim. A past speaker to the New York State Bar Association on construction accidents, Mr. Saftler is a leading advocate in protecting workers in work related accidents with successful results.

Mr. Saftler can be found at his midtown Manhattan office at 275 Madison Ave., New York, New York and can be reached by contacting him at 646-865-0797. His website can provide valuable information about labor law cases handled in the past as well as other areas of personal injury litigation handled by the Saftler Law Firm. Visit the site at http://www.saftlerlaw.com.

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