In Long Island and other areas around New York City, construction sites are everywhere. However, just because these sites are commonplace doesn’t make them safe for workers or the surrounding public. Of all the accidents that can occur when construction takes place, falls are the most common cause of death in the industry. Unfortunately, most fall fatalities were preventable.
To protect workers, employers must provide safety training, preventive equipment, and take reasonable measure to ensure a safe construction site. Here are 4 simple safety tips to reduce falls from roofs, scaffolds, ladders, and other unsafe conditions.
- Watch for and Address Slip and Trip Hazards
Even though workers may not immediately think of fall hazards when conditions put them at risk of slipping or tripping, the injuries resulting from slip or trip and falls accounts for the most incidents of lost time in the entire construction industry. Workers need to stay alert for ground elevation changes, ask for safety equipment, and check to see if OSHA safety requirements are in being met. Employers need to address dangerous work conditions and correct them quickly or reroute workers to safer work areas until conditions improve.
- Plan Ahead
An employer should plan their work and the entire project in advance to maximize productivity and safety. Planning ahead also allows them to determine the safety equipment needed, calculate a figure for the cost of that equipment, and include that number in their job estimate to make sure workers have access to everything they need to stay safe.
- Use Proper Equipment and Safety Gear
Planning the work in advance lets you know what equipment is needed to prevent falls. The proper equipment can make the difference between life, severe injury, and death, so it needs to be available when the risky work begins. Among others, beamers, retractable lanyards, rope-grabs, butterfly anchors, and concrete plunger anchors all function as everyday safeguards for workers on construction sites to prevent injury.
- Provide Training
Simply giving workers the right safety equipment isn’t enough – employers need to train their employees on how to use the equipment property, how to care for safety equipment, when to use it, and its limitations. When OSHA issues a violation for fall protection protocol, a lack of training violation almost always issues with it. Training on safe use of fall protection equipment can avoid many falls and reduce the severity of injury or even prevent death when they do occur.
Contact a Long Island Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in a fall on a construction site, the experienced Long Island personal injury attorneys at the Falkowitz Law Firm, PLLC can help you hold negligent parties accountable and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us 24/7 at (844)-385-4279 or by completing our online Contact Page to schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation. Let us use our resources and knowledge to get the best outcome possible for you from an unfortunate situation starting today.
Gary P. Falkowitz is the Managing Partner and Founding Attorney of the Falkowitz Law Firm PLLC‚ one of the premiere personal injury law firms in New York. Gary received his J.D., in 2005 from St. John’s University School of Law and served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.
