Construction jobs are up in New York and so are accidents

The New York construction industry is booming, but more jobs bring an increase in injuries of all kinds.

Here are examples of accidents that occurred in recent months in New York City, showing how dangerous construction work can be.

Accidents happen

The Department of Buildings in New York City keeps records of worker injuries and fatalities in the local construction industry. For example, in January, at a W. 33 Street job site, someone cut the support strap on a pipe. The pipe fell four feet and hit a construction worker on the head. In June, an investigator from the DOB cited shoddy building framework when a hardhat worker fell 40 feet to the ground at a Greenpoint, Brooklyn, construction site. He survived but sustained possible injuries to his back. A July construction fatality occurred in Morningside Heights when a piece of scaffolding fell and hit a worker on the head. In another July incident, a worker inside a West Village building suffered a live wire electrocution.

The numbers stack up

According to DOB records, during the first seven months of 2018, there were eight construction-related deaths compared to four during the same period of time in 2017. Furthermore, through July of this year, 469 people sustained injuries in on-the-job accidents.

The mayor weighs in

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that there are currently 47,242 hardhat workers in New York, a record number. As of 2017, the DOB must post all injuries and fatalities related to construction mishaps online. Concerned with worker safety, Mayor de Blasio recently approved a requirement that construction laborers must log more hours of training.

Help for injured workers

Worker injuries can come from scaffolding, ladder or forklift accidents. Falling debris can cause serious injuries as can chemical spills and electrical accidents. Such accidents are often complex from a legal perspective and can involve negligent third parties. In any case, injured construction workers in New York are entitled to full and fair compensation to cover their medical expenses and more.