More construction workers are injured or killed in falls than any other kind of on-the-job accident, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In early November, for instance, a 37 -year-old ironworker at the Oswego campus of the State University of New York was fatally injured when he fell from a roof where he was installing metal decking, according to a report. The cause of the fall was not immediately reported, but all campus construction projects were suspended pending a review of safety.
About 150,000 construction workers are injured each year across the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Falls, slips and trips accounted for the deaths of 666 workers in 2011. Those deaths represented 14 percent of all fatal work-related injuries that year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that one in 10 construction workers are injured in falls each year.
Compensation for Injured Workers
A construction worker who is injured in a fall may suffer emotionally, physically and financially. Workers’ compensation may cover some medical costs and help make up some lost wages, but the benefits sometimes fall short of covering all the costs that injured workers and their families must face. However, construction workers who are injured on the job in New York may be able to pursue compensation through third-party lawsuits. This option may be available in place of, or in addition to, any workers’ compensation benefits that result from an accident.
Because construction sites often involve a number of contractors and companies, those who could be liable in a third-party lawsuit include:
- General contractor
- Subcontractors
- Property owner
- Property manager
- Equipment leasing company
- Maintenance companies
- Equipment manufacturer
If you have been injured in a New York or New Jersey construction accident, you should talk to an experienced New York/New Jersey workers’ compensation attorney about your options for obtaining compensation. A lawyer who represents workers injured in New York and New Jersey construction accidents can help you with your workers’ compensation claim and can identify any third parties who should be held responsible.