This week, construction firms across the United States are working together to help eliminate workplace injuries by pledging to educate everyone involved in the construction process on safe workplace practices. Construction Safety Week, which runs from May 7 to May 11, addresses the necessity of maintaining a safe workplace by engaging the national construction community through a series of industry-wide education and awareness events.
In support of Construction Safety Week, the New York City Department of Buildings is hosting a daylong series of live seminars and conferences on May 10, during which Department experts will promote and educate workers on safe workplace practices for all types of jobs. These presentations will cover everything from demolition work to cranes, hoists, and elevators safety. In addition, staff from the Department will visit construction sites to educate workers during its annual multi-lingual “Experience is Not Enough” campaign. Buildings Commission Rick Chandler reiterates that “No building is worth a life, and that’s a belief every person in the development industry should keep in mind whenever they step onto a construction site”. More information, including a schedule of this year’s sessions can be found here. The website also contains links to past years’ presentations on workplace safety.
The topics that will be covered this year include the dangers of elevation-related risks. In addition to education, New York State has long standing laws to protect worker safety. As an example, New York Labor Law Section 240(1) was enacted to ensure that construction workers who are exposed to the dangers associated with heights are afforded the proper protection. Also known as the “Scaffold Law”, this legislation imposes a non-delegable duty upon owners and general contractors to provide workers with safety devices which will protect them from elevation-related risks. These elevation-related risks encompass both the dangers of workers face when working from an elevated height, and the dangers workers face when working below objects susceptible to falling due to the force of gravity.
This law does not merely provide guidelines for a safe workplace, but it also provides for the legal protection of construction workers who are put in harms way by unsafe practices. Grandelli & Eskenasi is dedicated to defending the legal rights of construction workers. Our office focuses on litigating construction related accidents, and have successfully obtained numerous multi-million dollar results for our clients.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a construction accident, please call our office to schedule a free consultation.
