NYC Buildings Department Announces Construction-Related Accidents Dropped By 28% In 2010
On January 11th, 2011, the New York City Buildings Department announced that there was a 28% decrease in construction-related accidents in New York City in 2010 when compared to the previous year. In 2010, there were 157 reported construction-related accidents compared to 218 in 2009. There were four fatal construction-related accidents in 2010, a 78% decrease when compared to 2008. The total number of reported construction-related injuries also dropped from 241 injuries in 2009 to 165 in 2010, a 31% decrease. All four of the fatal construction-related accidents in 2010 - two in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan - involved workers who fell due to a lack of adequate fall protection on the job site as required by law. There were three fatal construction-related accidents in 2009, 19 in 2008, 12 in 2007 and 18 in 2006. The Department largely attributes the decrease to increased enforcement, new requirements and greater outreach to the members of the construction industry. In 2009, the Department launched a multi-lingual worker safety campaign that distributed thousands of posters, brochures and banners to construction sites and worker centers across the City to encourage workers to wear their safety harnesses. Unfortunately, not all news is good news on the construction front. Department inspectors and engineers are continuing to investigate a fatal construction-related accident at 84-18 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst, Queens, where a concrete wall collapsed earlier this month, killing one worker and injuring three others. Two of thefour men were standing on the scaffolding when the wall collapsed and were crushed beneath the falling cinder blocks. The two other workers were on top of the wall when it disintegrated. The Buildings Department boasts that since 2008, the Department has implemented more than 25 new construction safety laws, created new inspectorial units to address building trends and worked closely with industry members to raise awareness about the importance of safety for their workers and New Yorkers. The personal injury lawyers at Levine & Slavit have decades of experience handling personal injury claims, including for workers injured at construction sites. For 50 years spanning 3 generations, we have obtained results for satisfied clients. Contact the personal injury lawyers at Levine & Slavit for their help. We have offices in Manhattan and Long Island, handling cases in New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and surrounding areas. To learn more, watch our videos.
