New York City has a construction business that holds the highest combined value within the industry, across all states. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that NYC has also reported some of the highest number of construction-related accidents in the country, over multiple years.
Law students interested in becoming a construction accident lawyer in NYC, as well as construction workers working in the city, should go through the following. We will discuss a few hard facts and stats regarding construction accidents, Local Law 196, and potential compensation options in the City of New York.
High Fatality Rates
As confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Labor Vital Statistics, the following facts show that the NYC construction industry does indeed report an alarmingly high rate of fatalities every year.
27% of all people who die on account of work-related accidents in NYC are construction workers
This is in spite of construction employees constituting only 5% of the city’s combined workforce
Higher Injury Rates
Considering that most people who get injured at a construction site do not pass away, the rate of construction-related injuries is much higher. Some injuries are temporary, while others are debilitating and expensive, both in the short and the long-term. Workers often lose their ability to work after construction injuries and unless they get the compensation they deserve, a life of poverty and unemployment awaits them.
Common Construction Related Accidents in NYC
One of the most prominent Allentown, PA car accident lawyer points out the following as being common reasons behind construction site accidents within the city.
- Falls from a high place accounts for more than 40% of all injuries
- Falling objects from above account for roughly 24% of all injuries
- Accidents related to scaffolding, construction equipment, and excavation contribute to 5.47%, 3.91% and 3.4% of all injuries
How the Law Changed in 2017
Before Local Law 196 became active in 2017, there were gaps in safety measures taken by contractors to protect their crew. The fines and repercussions were not made very clear either, so Local Law 196 should hold particular importance to law students, which they can check out at the government website here.
In summary, Local Law 196 dictates the following.
- Construction workers at specific worksites must have 40 hours of safety training at least
- Construction site supervisors at the same sites must have 62 hours of safety training at least
- On failure to comply with Local Law 196, as much as $5,000/untrained worker will be levied as a fine
- The fine will need to be paid by the site owner, the permit holder and the contractor
- On failure to produce a log that proves every worker on site is adequately trained, the permit holder will be fined $2,500
Note that these directives are not always followed, even in 2020, unfortunately, but therein lies the importance of construction accident lawyers in NYC. They can help injured workers or those surviving the deceased construction worker in case of a fatality get the compensation which they deserve.