The federal agency estimates that protecting workers from scaffold-related accidents may help prevent 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries every year in the United States
New York, N.Y (PRWEB) April 16, 2014
A construction worker suffered fatal injuries after he fell approximately 80 feet from a scaffold placed around the Dream Hotel at West 55th Street and Broadway. An April 2 CBS news report states that the incident occurred the afternoon of April 2 when the man was working on the hotel's façade using a supported scaffold. He ended up falling down eight floors and through an area that was not protected. The article also states that the Department of Buildings issued a full stop work order and a violation for failure to safeguard persons or property affected by construction operations. The victim worked for Alpha General Contractor of New York, the report states.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 2.3 million construction workers or 65 percent of the construction industry work on scaffolds. The federal agency also estimates that protecting workers from scaffold-related accidents may help prevent 60 deaths and 4,500 injuries every year in the United States. A recent BLS study showed that 72 percent of workers who were injured in scaffolding accidents attributed the accidents to the planking or support giving way or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.
These types of incidents certainly reinforce the rationale of why New York's Scaffold Law should not change, says New York personal injury lawyer Kenneth A. Wilhelm. "The current law requires building owners, general contractors and others on building sites to ensure the safety of laborers working at elevations. But now, we have a lobby of contractors, property owners and insurance companies fighting against this law arguing that the law absolves workers of the responsibility for their own accidents and that it results in large payouts. This lobby says this is causing insurance premiums to shoot up."
The Scaffold Law doesn't hamper economic growth, but it protects workers who put their lives on the line every day to enhance New York's skyline. "Without these protections, there is no incentive for building owners, construction companies and others to ensure that their worksites are safe. There is no protection for workers who are catastrophically injured or families that have lost a primary wage earner as the result of a tragic and eminently preventable accident."
About the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm
The Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm is a personal injury litigation firm with an unwavering dedication to its clients. With more than 42 years of experience, our firm strives to obtain the best compensation for those who have been injured or those who have lost a loved one due to an accident or by someone else's negligence. We handle cases dealing with personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, train accidents, workers' compensation, dental malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents, rape, paralysis, comas, seizures, false arrest, lead poisoning, trips and slips and falls, falls on sidewalks or stairs, elevator accidents, construction accidents, Erb's palsy, cerebral palsy, brain damage, blindness, hearing loss, dog bite cases, fire and smoke inhalation accidents, bicycle accidents, falls from windows or scaffolds, food poisoning injuries, carbon monoxide accidents, and many other types of accidents and injuries.
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