Fatalities caused by falls continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees. Lack of proper fall protection remains the most frequently cited violation by OSHA. In response to the number of fall related injuries and fatalities, OSHA launched its National Safety Stand-Down Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction. The annual event strives to raise fall hazard awareness. The 4th annual National Fall Prevention Stand-Down will take place May 8-12, 2017.
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Construction Accidents
Senate Nixes Volks Rule, an Obama-Era Workplace Safety Rule
By Bruce H. Stern on
Posted in Construction Accidents, Legal Updates
The Senate recently voted to nullify an Obama-era OSHA safety regulation – the so-called “Volks rule” – which extends the time period for OSHA to cite employers for failing to report workplace injuries and illnesses.
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Construction Workers and Construction Site Injuries
By Stephen M. Di Stefano on
Posted in Construction Accidents
Recently, while I was walking in Center City Philadelphia on my way to a deposition, I took notice of the many construction projects occurring in various sites throughout my journey. Visit any major city and you are bound to see a skyscraper being constructed. Although construction sites can provide workers with good jobs, there are also many dangerous aspects of those jobs.
For example, in a recent case, a 20-year old construction worker was on a scaffold in New York installing metal siding on a building. The worker was asked to go to the roof of the building to provide assistance for a different job. The worker went to the roof wearing his safety harness, but was unable to find a place to tie off. While he was on the roof, he fell about 20 feet to the ground. The construction worker suffered many severe injuries, including a head injury, spinal fractures, rib fractures, and internal injuries including a renal hematoma, a lung contusion, a lacerated spleen, and cervical and lumbar disk herniations.
Even worse, as a result of his head injury the worker developed degeneration of the brain tissue, which is a condition called encephalomalacia. This resulted in memory loss, motor problems, and impaired thought-processing and other cognitive functions. He is permanently disabled as a result of his injuries from the accident.…
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Stark & Stark Files Amicus Brief for New Jersey Association for Justice
By Stark & Stark on
Posted in Construction Accidents
Stark & Stark Shareholders Bruce H. Stern, Esq. and Michael G. Donahue, Esq. filed an Amicus Brief for the New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), arguing that a national building developer and its general contractor should be held responsible for the catastrophic injuries suffered by an employee on the work site.
On May 10, 2011,…
Top Ten Causes of Workplace Injury
A recent article in Insurance Journal lists the top 10 causes of workplace injuries based on 2012 Liberty Mutual claims data for injuries lasting six or more days.
The ranking is based on total workers’ compensation costs but it is interesting to note the leading causes of injuries in this study. If I were to…
Do Construction Workers Have a Meaningful Choice- New Jersey Supreme Court Hears Argument
By Bruce H. Stern on
Posted in Construction Accidents
Construction workers on a job site have no meaningful choice when told by their employers to perform an assigned task. When a construction worker is injured, while performing his assigned task, should the defense of comparative negligence be a defense in a lawsuit filed by the injured employee against the general contractor? That is the…
What Do Personal Injury Attorneys Do?
Personal injury attorneys are advocates for people who have been injured in an accident, whether it is a slip and fall, trip and fall, work related, car, motorcycle or recreational accident. Our job is to represent the rights of the injured party, not the insurance company. So, why do personal injury attorneys have such a…
Electricity: “Watt” You Need To Know
By Eric J. Ludwig on
Posted in Construction Accidents, Injury Law
On a commercial construction site, because most of the trades need electrical power to operate their hand tools, the electrical contractor must provide “temporary” electrical service throughout the site right after the concrete slab is poured.
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Suing an Employer for Negligence
By Marci Hill Jordan on
In a recent case, Van Dunk v. Reckson Associates Realty Corporation, the Supreme Court of New Jersey found in favor of the employer and against the injured worker who was suing his employer for intentional harm.
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Fall Protection: Don’t be caught dead without it
By Eric J. Ludwig on
Posted in Construction Accidents
Mention the words “construction worker” to most people and the picture that comes to mind is a trim, muscular male wearing jeans and work boots with a hard hat and a toll belt tied to his waist. In the case of ironworkers, masons and roofers, however, their ensembles would not be complete without some form of leather harness having metal clips to attach to a lanyard or some other form of lifeline.
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