We ordinarily like to profile local cases, but so many construction accidents from across the country feature lessons we can all learn from. Construction accidents that occur in the New York and New Jersey area are often almost identical to those occurring in other states. In other words, construction sites here are similar to construction sites everywhere, and lessons can be shared across the map. [Read more…]
OSHA Seeks Comments on Certification of Crane Operators
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled two informal stakeholder meetings in April 2013 to discuss crane operator certification standards. Given the rash of serious, even deadly, crane accidents throughout the country, including New York, over the past several years, OSHA hopes to elicit useful comments and suggestions. [Read more…]
Common Causes of Construction Injuries Include Cranes and Falls
Yet another crane accident in New Jersey sent a tree trimmer to the hospital with injuries recently. According to a news report, the accident occurred in Haddonfield when the crane toppled as it lowered chunks of a tree that was being removed from beside a home. A tree trimmer who was more than two stories up at the time was thrown onto the roof below. In addition, the operator of the crane was trapped inside the vehicle for more than an hour because a nearby power line was torn down and exposed. The operator of the crane was not injured; however, the tree trimmer suffered a fractured leg in the fall. The accident was being investigated by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to determine whether any workplace safety regulations were violated. [Read more…]
Crane Accidents Continue to Plague New York
The number and severity of crane accidents in New York have alarmed workers, policymakers and federal authorities over the past decade. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration was called to investigate yet another crane accident, this one at a construction site in the middle of the downtown business and entertainment district of Saratoga Springs. Amazingly, no one was injured when the crane fell over, the Wall Street Journal reported. The construction company responsible for the crane claimed that a lever malfunction caused the crane to tip over. [Read more…]
Construction Accident Statistics Show Extent of Workplace Fatalities
Anyone who works in the construction industry already knows that it can be a dangerous. In 2011, 721 construction accidents in the private sector resulted in the deaths of construction workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number was down 7 percent from 2010. [Read more…]
Accidents Up, Oversight Down on New York City Construction Sites
Official statistics confirm what workers in the New York City construction industry already know: The number of accidents and injuries on New York City construction sites is increasing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, as the Daily News reported recently, this is occurring at a time when oversight of construction sites has reached an all-time low. The relationship between the two seems apparent. [Read more…]
Seven Hurt in Recent Crane Accident
A January 2013 crane accident in New York injured seven people, including three construction workers who had to be extricated, according to news reports. Authorities say the cause may have been an overweight load. [Read more…]
Crane Accidents Concern Safety Experts
The construction industry lags behind only the transportation industry in the number of work-related accidents each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Crane accidents, in particular, have been a focal point for safety experts over the past decade because of the sharp increase in their number and severity nationwide. According to the BLS, there were 72 fatal crane-related accidents nationwide in 2006 and hundreds of injuries. [Read more…]
Construction Mobile Equipment Poses a Serious Threat to Workers
Construction workers often work under extremely hazardous conditions. Not surprisingly, the construction industry consistently has the second highest number of work-related accidents, behind only the transportation industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Along with the myriad of other hazards that can cause injuries on a construction site, mobile construction equipment stands out as a leading cause. [Read more…]
New York Construction Firm Cited for Fatal Crane Accident
The U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New York crane company for safety violations in a crane collapse that killed a worker in Manhattan last April, according to a report on phillyburbs.com. The fines, totaling $68,000, were for safety violations that contributed to the collapse at a subway line extension site. Sadly, a 30-year-old worker Burlington City construction worker was fatally injured when the crane crumbled on top of him. The subcontractor that employed the worker also has been cited. [Read more…]