Examining Trends In New York Construction Accident Injuries
Construction work is always considered a hazardous occupation. However, New York made some significant changes recently to improve safety and reduce construction site accidents. Even with such regulations, injuries and fatalities can still take place. Read on and let’s learn more about the trends in New York construction accident injuries.
Fall Hazards the Leading Cause of Injuries and Fatalities
Falls from heights remain the leading cause of injuries and fatalities on New York construction sites, accounting for over a third of all construction deaths annually. Falls accounted for 36% of New York construction deaths in 2018, similar to preceding years.
While safety harnesses and other fall protection measures have helped reduce risks, many workers still fail to use proper protective equipment due to time pressure or lack of training and enforcement of safety protocols.
Stricter safety compliance requirements have reduced the frequency of fall accidents in the last 10 years, but more work clearly needs to be done to address ongoing fall risks faced by ironworkers, roofers, carpenters and other tradespeople working at height.
Increase in Struck-By Accidents Highlights Transportation Hazards
Another concerning trend is the rise in construction workers being struck by vehicles, equipment and falling objects on New York worksites. Being struck by objects and equipment accounts for around 20% of construction site deaths in New York annually, and this rate has been rising over the past decade.
Worksites near active roads and highways pose obvious transportation dangers, but even equipment like forklifts and cranes operating on closed construction sites can easily strike workers if not handled properly. Property developers and contractors need to minimize vehicle and equipment transportation hazards on worksites wherever possible through planning and barriers.
Lack of Experience and Training Contributes to Accidents
While veteran construction workers have acquired safety knowledge from years on the job, new inexperienced workers are especially vulnerable to accidents and injuries. Labor shortages in recent years have pushed more green workers onto New York construction sites, and this correlates with increased injury rates.
Proper safety protocol training is essential to getting new workers up to speed quickly. Some safety experts have also called for minimum experience requirements for higher risk construction jobs like welding, equipment operation and work at dangerous heights. Responsibility falls on developers, contractors and unions to ensure all workers have adequate training before setting foot on a construction site.
Scaffolding Safety Lapses a Major Concern
Scaffolding is essential for accessing elevated worksites, but scaffold-related accidents have remained high in New York construction for many years. There were over 140 scaffolding mishaps in New York City alone in 2018.
Defective scaffolding equipment caused some collapses, but the majority resulted from incorrect installation or lack of appropriate fall prevention barriers around scaffold platforms. New York City has attempted to crack down on scaffolding risks in recent years through major revisions to building codes and worksite inspections targeting scaffold compliance.
However, critics argue more consistent regulatory enforcement is still needed, as risky scaffolding issues continue to appear on unsafe projects looking to cut costs by skirting the rules.
Final Words
Ultimately reducing construction accident trends in New York remains an intricate challenge with no singular fix, as worksites and contexts greatly vary. However, evidence shows improving attitudes and accountability around safety makes a difference.
When developers, contractors, unions and workers themselves embrace safety as central to construction work, injuries and deaths drop. But when timelines and profits take too much precedent over safety, accidents are bound to happen. This is where the help of a New York Construction Accident Attorney would be useful.
Through continued worker education, strict regulatory oversight, safety protocol enforcement and promoting a culture of safety first, New York construction worksites will inch closer to eliminating needless injuries and deaths.
