Construction workers can face injury risks at almost any type of jobsite, whether they are working on an underground excavation with trenching work, completing roofing on a single-story building, or working on scaffolding on a multi-storey project. While serious and deadly construction accident injuries can occur on any construction site when proper safety measures are not put in place, high-rise construction can pose particular types of injury risks, especially those related to falls from heights caused by negligent or defective scaffolding. If you were seriously injured while working on a high-rise construction project in New York, or if you lost a loved one who was working on a high-rise building, it may be possible to file a lawsuit against the negligent construction company or employer. Our New York construction accident attorneys can say more.
What is High-Rise Construction?
What is high-rise construction in New York, and why does it matter? Generally speaking, the New York City Department of Buildings defines a high-rise as a “building with an occupied floor located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.” High-rise buildings in New York are subject to more code requirements, and construction employers need to ensure that proper safety protocols are in place to prevent unnecessary injuries on the construction site.
Safety Procedures in High-Rise Construction
Given that high-rise buildings require construction work many stories from the ground level, construction workers are frequently at risk of injuries caused by falls from heights, crane accidents, or struck-by accidents when materials fall several stories down to the ground level.
In order to ensure that these types of accidents do not happen, what safety measures must be put into place? Common protections include, for example:
● Barricades;
● Railings;
● Braces;
● Vertical and horizontal netting;
● Hoists; and
● Scaffolding.
Liability for Safety Failures on High-Rise Construction Sites
When a construction site owner or employer fails to provide appropriate safety gear or to install necessary safety measures on high-rise construction projects, they may be liable for damages. Under New York Labor Law § 240, also known colloquially as the “Scaffold law,” allows injured construction workers or their families to sue employers for negligence that results in injuries on construction sites.
The statute says: “All contractors and owners and their agents . . . in the erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure shall furnish or erect, or cause to be furnished or erected for the performance of such labor, scaffolding, hoists, stays, ladders, slings, hangers, blocks, pulleys, braces, irons, ropes, and other devices which shall be so constructed, placed and operated as to give proper protection to a person so employed.”
If you believe your high-rise construction site injuries resulted from an employer’s negligence, you could be eligible to file a lawsuit against that employer for damages under New York Labor Law.
Contact Our New York Construction Accident Lawyers
Do you have questions about seeking compensation after a construction accident, or specific inquiries about filing a claim under New York Labor Law? An experienced New York construction accident lawyer at our firm can assist you. Do not hesitate to get in touch to learn more about how we can help. Contact Leitner Varughese Warywoda PLLC today.
