What Is the Leading Cause of Death in Construction?

There is a tremendous amount of construction activity in the New York metropolitan area. According to the New York City Department of Buildings, there are nearly 7,000 active construction permits across the five boroughs, and this does not even include the many active construction projects on Long Island and in Westchester County. With this great volume of construction activity, there are many ways construction workers and others can be hurt on job sites and many incidents where accidents that result in injuries actually happen. Of these many types of potential construction accidents and actual incidents, fall accidents remain the most common cause of deaths on construction sites. So if you or a loved one who live on Long Island or anywhere in the New York metropolitan area have been injured or killed in a construction accident, you should consider contacting a New York Constuction Accident lawyer to find out more about the compensation you might be entitled to.

Addressing the Most Common Hazards Leading to Fatalities in Construction

Falls are consistently identified as the leading cause of death in construction, accounting for a significant portion of fatal accidents each year. Elevated work environments, such as roofs, scaffolds, ladders, and elevated platforms, pose inherent risks for falls if proper safety measures are not implemented or followed. Other common hazards contributing to construction-related fatalities include struck-by incidents involving vehicles, heavy machinery, or falling objects; electrocutions from contact with live wires or faulty electrical equipment; and caught-in or between accidents caused by being crushed, caught, or trapped in machinery or between objects. Understanding these hazards and implementing effective safety protocols, including comprehensive training, proper equipment use, hazard identification, and regular safety inspections, are essential for preventing fatal accidents and promoting a safer work environment in the construction industry.

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Falls Are the Leading Cause of Death in Construction

Fall accidents represent the biggest threat to private sector workers according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Around 33 percent of all construction worker fatalities in the year 2018 were a result of falls. Fall accidents occur for a number of reasons on construction sites around New York, as workers are exposed to numerous hazards and they could:

• Fall from a height, off of scaffolding, or from a ladder.
• Fall after slipping over a spill.
• Fall after tripping on equipment or power cords.

Both falls from a height and same-level falls might be deadly. If you lost a loved one due to a fall accident on a construction site, we extend to you our heartfelt sympathies. We respectfully suggest that you should consider getting legal help by contacting a wrongful death lawyer in New York. No one should have to go through this hard time on his or her own, and you might be entitled to compensation for your losses.

Construction Site Owners are Responsible for Worker Safety

The owners of a construction site have a responsibility to keep conditions safe for workers. However, some owners allow construction sites to develop serious hazards. One concern is a failure to provide proper safety gear, such as:

• Safety nets
• Restraint systems
• Fall arrest systems
• Guardrails

Even if these safety systems are available, they could work improperly if they do not undergo regular maintenance. In these situations, workers could fall and still experience catastrophic injuries because their safety gear malfunctioned. In this situation, offered as an example, while the worker’s employer may have caused the wrongful death, New York law may impose liability on the property owner and general contractor, providing potential sources of monetary recovery for the worker’s surviving family.

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Other Potential Health Hazards Faced by Construction Workers

Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry in New York, but there are three other common causes of death according to OSHA. The other three leading causes of death in construction include:

• Being struck by an object
• Being electrocuted
• Being caught in or between objects or equipment

Together with fall accidents, these events make up construction’s “Fatal Four.” They are responsible for over 58 percent of all construction worker fatalities throughout the country. If you lost a loved one to any of these serious accident types or others on a construction site, we urge you to reach out to a legal professional as soon as possible to fully understand your rights and the time period(s) within which action must be taken.

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Wrongful Death Claims in New York

If you lost a family member in a wrongful death accident in New York, you may be able to start the process of filing a wrongful death claim. However, you are only allowed to file this kind of claim if you are the personal representative of your family member’s estate. After filing a claim, compensation could be awarded to an individual’s:

• Heirs
• Beneficiaries

A wrongful death lawyer will help you file a claim in some situations. Working with a lawyer could allow you to get the compensation you might be entitled to for your loved one’s:

• Medical or healthcare expenses prior to their death
• Funeral or burial expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages or benefits

You could also be entitled to compensation to cover all the monetary losses you have and will suffer as a result of losing your loved one. In some cases a wrongful death claim will allow you to seek damages for the loss of special aspects of a relationship from your loved one, as in the case of a departed spouse or parent, for example. Getting help could allow you to start building a wrongful death claim as soon as possible.

Begin Working on a Wrongful Death Claim After a Fall

If your family member fell while working construction in New York, you are able to file a wrongful death claim to get compensation you might be entitled to for your family’s losses. Your lawyer is able to assess the accident that led to your family member’s death. A lawyer will also handle conversations and written communications with insurance agents, defense lawyers and, if called for, court personnel for you. While many deadly fall accident cases are resolved outside the court system, in some cases a wrongful death claim will go to court in the state of New York. In this situation, a lawyer will be able to help you build a strong case to present in front of a judge and jury.

Speak to a Slip and Fall or Trip and Fall Lawyer About the Causes of Death in Construction

Falls, electrocutions, being struck by an object, or being caught between items are the leading causes of death in construction. If you lost a loved one in any of these accidents, consider reaching out to a wrongful death lawyer. Call the team from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., for a free consultation at (516) 932-0400. We are able to assist in different languages, including Spanish, Greek, Bengali, Tamil, and Kannada.

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