Since 2008, the New York Department of Buildings has enacted more than 25 new laws designed to increase safety at construction sites. Virtually every day we all see—and sometimes pause to watch—workers risking their lives in building and maintaining bridges, skyscrapers, tunnels, as well as engaging in hundreds of other construction and renovation projects—both large and small. All too often contractors cut corners and engage in unsafe worksite practices to get the job completed "on time" without proper regard for the safety of the workers hired to perform labor or operate heavy machinery. We see window washers standing on flexible scaffolds hundreds of feet in the air; or crane operators lifting heavy materials to their co-workers perched on a temporary work platform high above them. These are dangerous and daunting jobs, and the legislature has passed numerous laws over the years to place the primary responsibility for maintaining a safe workplace where it belongs: on the owners, contractors, and their agents, not on the workers themselves.
Our White Plains construction accident attorneys are aggressive advocates who will fight for your right to monetary damages. Contact a Westchester County labor law attorney today.
Major types of construction sites must employ qualified individuals certified in site safety to protect workers as well as the public during construction. In addition, there are specific statutes such as Labor Law § 240 (1), the so-called "scaffold law," which provides special protections for workers whose job duties require them to work at heights. Similarly, if a worker can prove (usually through expert testimony), that he was injured because a specific provision of New York's Industrial Code was violated in connection with a construction, demolition or excavation project, he may be entitled to recover under Labor Law § 241(6).
KK&S has used these and other special statutory protections over the years to ensure that injured workers covered by these statutes receive all of the compensation and benefits that they are entitled to receive. It is often the case that a construction worker injured on the job is entitled to both worker's compensation benefits as well as additional compensation under New York's Labor Laws. If you are injured in a construction accident, call an experienced, top-rated personal injury attorney.
