The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge project in upstate New York has experienced its second construction accident in June, reports NBC New York. A 46-year-old construction worker who was working in the containment system (a plastic-coated device used to prevent paint chips from falling into the river) was injured.
The accident shut down work on the bridge for several days while the contractor conducted a safety review of the site. Earlier in the month, two workers fell from the bridge. Luckily, they were wearing safety harnesses, which saved their lives.
Sometimes workplace injuries occur because of violations of rules established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the top five OSHA citations for bridge, tunnel and elevated highway construction involve:
- Fall protection
- Cranes
- General
- Lead
- Working/over near water
According to a 2003-2008 study by the National Safety Council, injury rates among highway, street and bridge construction workers were among the highest, at 4.6 per 100 workers, each year.
The biggest reasons for injury were:
- Contact with objects or equipment, 35 percent.
- Slips, trips or falls, 20 percent.
- Overexertion, 15 percent.
- Transportation accidents, 12 percent.
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments, 5 percent.
As a whole, the construction industry has among the highest workplace risks, accounting for 17.6 percent of all work-related deaths in 2011, according to OSHA. That year, 738 workers were killed in construction accidents.
The worksite injury attorneys of Ginarte Gonzalez Winograd L.L.P., have extensive experience representing injured construction workers. Contact our office at 1 (888) GINARTE for a free consultation so we can help ensure your rights are protected.