(914) 220-1086The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the US Department of Labor, has issued a citation to an Illinois contractor over findings it made willful and serious safety violations that exposed workers to significant fall risks. According to a news release by the agency, the contractor, KW Framing in Justice, Illinois, faces proposed penalties […]
Construction Accidents
Will New York Governor Hochul Sign Construction Safety Law?
New York construction sites are about to get much safer—if Governor Kathy Hochul signs a bill passed by the state legislature last month. Known as “Carlos’ Law,” Senate Bill S621Bwould “substantially” raise the fines that can be levied on companies convicted of crimes that led to workplace deaths or injuries. According to a recent report […]
Survey: Construction Zone Car Crashes on the Rise
A new survey by HCSS Software Solutions and Associated General Contractors found that vehicle crashes continue to pose a threat to highway construction workers, as work zones likewise pose a threat to vehicle drivers and passengers. The survey found specifically that a whopping 64% of highway contractors “report that motor vehicles had crashed into their […]
Unpacking the Eight Largest OSHA Fines So Far This Year
A recent report by Construction Dive unpacks the biggest fines issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration during the first quarter of 2022. The contractors who received these fines include DME Construction Associates, Boss Construction, Lanigan Construction, and Groundworks Colorado. The smallest of the eight largest OSHA fines identified by the report was a fine of […]
Report: Construction Industry Execs Mental Health, Suicide Risk
In an illuminating roundtable published last week, construction industry trade magazine Construction Dive asked an array of industry experts what the industry can do protect and improve its workers’ mental health. As the report noted, construction’s suicide rate is four times that of the general population, suggesting that there is much work to be done to take […]
Report: NYC Construction Incidents Fall, Deaths Rise
The New York City Department of Buildings released its second annual Construction Safety report last week. Among other things, the DOB revealed that building construction-related incidents fell for the third year in a row in 2021; at the same time, construction-related injuries and fatalities slightly increased. As the report explains, building construction-related incidents fell 10% in 2021 […]
Study: Construction Workers May Bring Toxic Metals Home From Worksites
A pilot study published in a forthcoming issue of Environmental Research found that construction workers may “unintentionally pick up” toxic chemicals at their worksites and carry them to their homes. As an analysis by Construction Dive explains, the chemicals in question include not only lead, but also “arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, nickel and tin,” which were found in construction workers’ […]
NYC Passes Construction Safety Superintendent Bill
The New York City Council has passed legislation that would “overhaul” construction safety in the city, according to a press release by the legislative body. The bill, Int 2276-2021, requires construction sites to assign a “designated full-time construction superintendent who would be responsible for safety and code compliance, along with overall management of the construction project.” This role would […]
OSHA Developing Heat Standard for Construction Sites
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will develop “a federal standard” to prevent health issues stemming from extreme heat on construction sites, according to a report by Construction Dive. In a press release, the agency announced it would initiate a rulemaking process that will include a comment period from various stakeholders as it works to establish new standards. […]
NYC Issues Almost 1,500 Stop Work Orders in Construction Safety Sweep
A New York City Department of Buildings safety sweep this month resulted in 3,600 violations and 1,499 stop work orders issued to construction contractors. According to a report by Construction Dive, the sweeps were launched because of a spate of construction site fatalities in the city, with seven workers dying in the first five months of 2021—two […]
Construction Workers At Higher Risk of COVID-19, Study Finds
A new study published online in JAMA Network Open finds that construction workers may be at high risk of Covid-19 infection. Conducted by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and the Santa Fe Institute, the study asked whether construction work is associated with increased community transmission of Covid-19 as well as disproportionate fatalities in US construction workers. […]
Construction Site Safety Practices Evolve During Covid-19 Pandemic
How can construction sites maximize safety during the Covid-19 pandemic? A new column in the Philadelphia Business Journal offers lessons and best-practices from Philadelphia-area job ites. According to the column, that city’s chapter of the General Building Contractors Association started putting together safety protocols early in the pandemic, and took input from other industry stakeholders like the […]
New York City Construction Injuries Increase 221 Percent Since 2014
The deadliest industry in New York is becoming even more dangerous with injuries caused by construction accidents increasing a hefty 221 percent in the last five years. According to CBS New York, deaths in the construction industry alone increased by 33 percent in the same time period. Just last month, three New York construction workers died […]
Government Report Shows Illegal Construction Rampant in New York
A new government report on the construction industry shows serious defects in compliance across the state. Released by Senator James Skoufits, he says the report shows that, “Firefighters are going to die. Tenants are going to die if the state and local officials do not start prioritizing code enforcement.” According to the Senator’s ‘bombshell’ report, the problems […]
City Revokes Contractors License After Construction Worker’s Death
The Department of Buildings (DOB) is suing to revoke the license of a contractor allegedly responsible for the death of a construction worker earlier this year in Turtle Bay. According to The New York Daily News, Nelson Salinas was working on scaffolding halfway up a 14-story residential building when a coping stone was knocked loose by rigging used […]
Study: Falls Are Most Common Cause of Death for Construction Workers
A new study released by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine showed that falls remain the second leading cause of death for workers across the country. The study showed that falls represented 14 percent of all workplace fatalities in the United States during an 11-year period between 2003 and 2014. Workers with the highest rates of fatal falls were […]
Plaintiff Granted Partial Summary Judgment in Labor Law 240 Case
The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department granted partial summary judgment to the plaintiff in a ladder / elevation case under Labor Law 240. The plaintiff was an electrician for Atlas-Acon Electric Service who was working on NBC property in New York City. The plaintiff ascended an A-frame ladder in order to replace the ballasts […]
Glass Door Falls on Construction Worker Because of Broken Hinge; Denial of Summary Judgment for Defendant Affirmed by First Department
The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a trial court’s order denying summary judgment for two defendants after a glass door fell on the construction worker plaintiff. The plaintiff was working at a construction site in New York City. The site was owned by Prudential, and Pinnacle was managing the project. The […]
Exemptions from the Scaffold Act
Earlier on the New York Injury Lawyers Blog, we discussed New York’s Scaffold Act- officially known as Labor Law § 240 – and how the strict liability imposed on contractors and owners by that law imposes liability upon employers when laborers fall during the course of their work. A related issue is to whom, exactly, the […]
Long Island Contractor Fined Over $460K for Repeated Fall and Scaffolding Violations
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the governmental agency responsible for workplace safety, fined Painting & Decorating Inc., a Ronkonkoma based painting and stucco contractor, $460,350 for chronic and repeated fall and scaffolding violations in December 2013. The Long Island company received 10 citations and fines totaling $429,600. Over the past several years, the company […]
NY Construction Company Fined $165,000 after Crane Collapses on Yacht
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) fined Concavage Marine Construction Co., a marine contractor based in Port Chester, New York, $165,000 in May 2014 for a crane accident that occurred over a year ago in Stamford, Connecticut. The accident damaged a $120,000 yacht. The company was issued sixteen citations for crane safety violations. OSHA inspectors concluded that the […]
Family of Son Killed in NYC Crane Accident Awarded $1 Million Settlement
Michael and Colleen Simermeyer, the parents of Michael Simermeyer, a 30-year-old construction worker who was killed in a crane accident in April 2012, received a $1 million settlement in 2013 after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit over their son’s death. According to the lawsuit, Yonkers Contracting, the main contractor at an MTA construction project site, failed […]
Former NYC Employee Sentenced to Probation for Falsifying Crane Inspection Records
Justice Thomas Farber of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan sentenced former city employee Edward J. Marquette, 51, to five years probation in February 2013 for falsifying crane inspection records. In July 2012, Farber found Marquette guilty of filing a false instrument, falsifying business records and official misconduct. However, Marquette was found not guilty of […]
Summary Judgment In Favor Of Plaintiff Affirmed in New York Labor Law Construction Accident
The Supreme Court of New York, Third Department (appellate court), recently upheld a summary judgment decision for the plaintiff, Joseph Miranda III, in a construction accident lawsuit. Miranda sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall of approximately 30 feet at an Albany construction site. Commonly referred to as “The Scaffold Act,” Labor Law section […]
Worker Seriously Injured In Ramapo, New York Construction Accident
A 26-year-old man working at the construction site for the Ramapo baseball stadium was injured Wednesday when the construction vehicle he was driving tipped over and ejected him from the driver’s seat. Joseph Delaney of Middletown, N.Y. was carrying a load of steel rods with the forklift-type vehicle just before noon Wednesday when the accident […]
