Construction companies are responsible for making sure that their employee worksites are safe and that all employees are equipped with the devices they need to complete the job safely and effectively. Companies are also required to provide all construction workers with adequate training on how to use their equipment, ensure a jobsite is safe and make every effort to maintain their safety even in precarious situations.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the agency in charge of ensuring worksites are safe and meeting regulations, gave a Manhattan jobsite several serious violations after they found unsafe working conditions. Unfortunately, a man recently lost his life at this jobsite when he fell 18 feet while working on the removal of a steel deck. The commissioner has since shut down the worksite and reprimanded the contractors involved in the project for putting lives at risk.
The 59-year-old man was wearing personal protection equipment. However, it did not have tie offs, which may have saved his life. He plummeted off an I-beam that was located on the second floor. The death was considered completely preventable, which made the commissioner question the quality of safety training the construction workers were receiving from the company.
When people are injured or killed as a result of another party’s negligence, it is important for those who are responsible to pay the consequences for their actions. An attorney in New York may be helpful in looking at the details of the case and determining the best route of action.
Source: New York Daily News, “Construction worker dies in ‘preventable’ fall at Manhattan site,” Molly Crane-Newman, Apr, 12, 2017.
