Construction Accidents In New York City Are Sky High

This year alone, New York City’s Department of Buildings has approved $15 million of new building activity across the city, which is great news for anyone seeking employment in construction. This is a greater increase than any other metro city in the country. 

Yet with this upswing in construction projects comes a corresponding upswing in fatal and severe accidents at construction job sites. Despite all of the safety features and a recent mandatory increase in training time, from January 1 to July 31st 2018, there were 18.4 percent more construction-related accidents (an increase from 386 to 457) as compared to the same time frame in 2017. There was also an injury increase of 17 percent during that time (from 401 to 469).  

Also in New York City, there have been 8 construction related accident fatalities so far this year, according to The New York Post. That’s twice as many as occurred in the same portion of 2017.  

Types of accidents that are likely to occur

Of all the accidents in that seven-month stretch, the overwhelming majority occurred at job sites in Manhattan. Specifically, there were 248 accidents, 253 injuries, and four deaths. The Bronx had a total of 28 accidents, resulting in 27 injuries and one fatality. 

Accident types included:  

• Excavation and soil work accidents – 3 accidents, 3 injuries, and no deaths 
• Falling materials – 47 accidents, 50 injuries, and one death 
• Equipment accidents – 16 accidents, 17 injuries, and one death 
• Scaffolding, shed, fence, shoring, and installation accidents – 4 accidents, 5 injuries, and one death 
• Falls – 113 accidents, 115 injuries, two deaths 
• Other – 274 accidents, 279 injuries, and three deaths 

Get serious. Get Giampa Law

It‘s common knowledge that construction work is dangerous. Between the power tools, heavy machinery, and equally heavy building materials, there is a lot that can go wrong. When you factor in the extreme heights many construction workers must face when building a skyscraper in Manhattan, such risk factors skyrocket.  

Construction workers work hard to make our schools, homes and offices safe for us to use. A Bronx construction accident attorney at Giampa Law believe it’s the least we can do to return the favor. We want to ensure the safety of our brave New York construction workers, and we have spent years fighting hard for them.  

If you or a loved one was injured in a construction accident in New York, contact us today. We will fight to get you the care and compensation you deserve, and work to prevent it from happening to anyone else in the future.