Construction & Other Workplace Injuries
In 2001 there were 481,400 injuries and illnesses affecting construction workers on the job.
In fact, 15% of the costs for worker’s compensation are due to injuries in the construction industry. Most of these construction workers were injured in places where there were no formal job safety regulations or programs to protect them.
Construction industry injuries represent the highest lost work-day incidents of any of the major occupations. Everyday 6 construction workers are killed on the job, where their deaths could have been prevented if the companies they worked for complied with the law and kept their jobsites safe.
In New York State, the well recognized risks and hazards of the construction industry have caused laws to be enacted which are designed to protect the safety and welfare of construction workers and their families. These laws—commonly known as the Labor Laws”--- permit a construction worker, injured on the job site, to receive compensation from a court case well beyond and greater than the compensation available from workers’ compensation benefits.
In New York State, the owner and general contractor of the job site must insure that all sub-contractors keep and maintain a safe place for their workers’ protection. If they don’t, owners and general contractors—and their insurance companies-- are responsible to all the workers on the site even if they do not directly control the work conditions.
In short, a construction worker has a right to a safe place to work. And where an accident is caused by a lack of safety, the owner and general contractor may be responsible.
What to do if you are injured on a construction jobsite:
If a construction worker is injured on a job, it is vitally important that he or she immediately get conscientious legal representation to assist them and their family through the tangled complexities of the legal system, where insurance companies have the luxury of obtaining legal advice with the sole goal of preventing the worker from receiving compensation.
The Greenberg Law Firm, LLP will contact witnesses, photograph where feasible the accident site, secure applicable job tickets, job reports, and C-4 Workers Compensation reports, police reports, preserve evidence and file the proper papers in court to preserve your claims.
We at The Greenberg Law Firm, LLP are available to help you 24/7, if you or a member of your family has had an injury on the job site.