New York – Fire department rescue teams were sent racing to the scene of a construction accident in Manhattan according to reports. Witnesses say that an injured worker had to be extricated from an Upper East Side subway tunnel that was being built for the Second Avenue subway line. Officials explain that the worker suffered a leg injury when a heavy piece of equipment fell on him after breaking loose. He was unable to move on his own due to the seriousness of the accident injuries and a crane was used to lower firefighters down to help. Rescue teams began treating his wounds while he was lifted out of the construction site and transported to an emergency trauma room of a nearby hospital. The cause of the construction injury is still unclear and investigators were looking into why the object fell on the worker. Work safety activists say that it is important for employers to provide proper training and safety gear to their employees. It is also necessary to secure machines and equipment properly in order to avoid work accidents. Investigators will need to determine if all applicable laws and regulations regarding safe work site practices were being observed at the time of the accident. To find out more about this subway accident and work injury, check out this article.

Illustrative photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (“Weekend Work 2012-08-13 01″Uploaded by tm) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons