Series of Construction Accidents at World Trade Center Site
2012
Earlier this week, a construction worker installing a steel beam at 3 World Trade Center slipped and fell 15 feet, injuring his arms and head. This incident is only the most recent in a concerning string of accidents that have occurred at the site throughout the past several months.
The construction worker, an employee of Falcon Steel, was transported to Bellevue Hospital Center and was described as in serious condition. According to a spokesperson from the FDNY, both of the worker’s arms are thought to be broken.
A spokesman for the construction company managing the 3 World Trade Center site stated that, “At the time of the fall, he was following all OSHA prescribed safety procedures.”
The site has been plagued with a number of construction accidents this past year. In February, a load of steel beams was accidently dropped 40 stories by a crane, smashing a truck on the road below. Earlier this summer, another construction worker fell several feet onto rebar, fracturing two ribs and bruising his liver. The next day, a crane shattered two large window panes when the beam it was holding crashed into the 46th floor of 4 World Trade Center.
New York Scaffold Law
New York’s Scaffold Law aims to protect workers from elevation-related hazards. The law requires that property owners and general contractors follow safety procedures and provide appropriate equipment to construction workers to avoid these types of accidents.
If workers are injured in accidents that fall within the law’s reach, owners and contractors may be held strictly liable for injuries that result. Besides scaffold accidents, the law applies to falls from ladders or roofs and some injuries from falling objects. A construction accident attorney can provide further information about New York’s scaffold law.
Source: Commercial Observer, “Construction Worker Injured at 3 World Trade Center,” Daniel Edward Rosen, August 29, 2012.
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