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Tag Archives: hazardous condition

February 13, 2022 News
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Redefining accidental injuries, fatalities and responsibility

An important but under-recognized movement has developed to truly improve ‎safety and prevent “accident injuries.” For way too long designers, manufacturers and society ‎leaders have ignored the well-known dangerous situations and hazardous conditions that exist ‎in the modern world. This sometimes manifests by poor road design, dangerous construction ‎site planning or manufacturing of faulty products. Once someone – or many people – have ‎been injured or were killed by poor design or negligent implementation, the people ‎responsible for the tragedy write it off as an “accident.” Many refuse to take any blame of ‎negligence and refuse to take the opportunity to declare a faulty product recall. More ‎importantly, they don’t make full efforts to redesign their product or re-do their design to ‎prevent further injury or death. It is no secret that some roads and highways are dangerous ‎and are more prone to car crash or pedestrian accidents. Likewise, some high-intensity ‎electrical products are known fire hazards. Yet others pose a serious risk of choking hazards or ‎other similar dangerous situations that need to be corrected. The concept of a wrongful death ‎lawsuit developed in an attempt to hold offending parties accountable for their actions or ‎even inactions. Personal injury lawsuits are likewise used as a tool to not only compensate ‎injury victims but to also create change in the world of those who design, develop and ‎manufacture consumer products or facilities.
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A recent book ‎was written about this topic, bringing to the forefront the idea of how to make necessary ‎changes before tragedy strikes. A top New York law firm has a long history of fighting for the rights of people ‎injured in a “car accident” that may not have actually been exactly just an accident after all. ‎This team has a tried a true history of fighting to change the reality and protect victims of faulty ‎products, work injury, slip and fall injury or even medical malpractice. The time has come to ‎make sure that designers, manufacturers and companies are held responsible for their actions.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Billie Grace Ward [License]

September 29, 2021 News
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Can construction companies convince New York to repeal essential work safety law?‎

New York – Labor laws are designed and passed to protect workers from work accident injuries. The ‎New York State Labor Law 240 is one such law that was written to prevent work-related injury by ‎requiring basic safety protocols and equipment for at-risk employees. Specifically, this so-called ‎‎“scaffold law” was an answer to a well-known and specific problem of construction accidents due to ‎hazardous conditions at work. However, some companies within the construction industry are ‎attempting to have lawmakers cancel the law in an effort for them to make more money. The goal and ‎specifics of the law were to require employers in construction companies to provide safety training ‎and equipment, such as harnesses, hard hat helmets, protective goggles and the like. The most ‎pressing of safety issues in construction sites is that of trip and fall accidents, especially a fall from a ‎height at work. These types of work accidents are common, especially in the dangerous confines of an ‎active construction zone.‎

When an employee reports that he fell at work or suffered some kind of on-the-job injury, the ‎employer should immediately investigate what went wrong that led to the work injury and what must ‎be done to prevent something similar in the future. Unfortunately, some bosses just care about ‎making money and simply refuse to buy expensive safety equipment. Others half-heartedly provide ‎some equipment but don’t provide the essential required training in the use and inspection of the ‎equipment. Many workers have complained that improper or negligent maintenance of safety ‎equipment is an even bigger problem than not providing the safety gear. They note that higher levels ‎of risk in dangerous situations may be taken while relying on the protection gear to operate properly. ‎However, when the gear breaks or malfunctions, the consequences can be devastating, including slip ‎and falls, head injury, spinal injury, nerve damage and even wrongful death. Read more about this ‎scaffold safety law as well as the attempts to cancel it here.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jnzl’s Photos [License]

December 21, 2020 News
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New York City a dangerous place for bicyclists

New York – Bicycle accidents are a known hazard for bikers, pedestrians and motorists alike. Unfortunately, bike crash incidents occur all of the time on the busy city streets, causing serious accident injuries and even wrongful deaths. Public safety advocates say that the city, police and many drivers share negligent responsibility for these accidents. They believe that the proper steps to secure the roads are not taken despite the known hazardous condition created for innocent bicycle riders that also need to share the roads. This is how many get to work, do deliveries, make their way to shopping and overall just get around. Activists contend that department of transportation officials must do a proper job of designing safe streets, maintain roads and parking zones according to basic safety standards and must identify and repair known danger zones. Negligent maintenance is an obvious safety hazard that should be addressed by city officials. In addition, NYPD police officers have a responsibility to actively make the streets safer by stopping and ticketing or towing dangerous drivers and keeping bicycle lanes open and clear of illegally parked cars and trucks. This can prevent bike versus car accidents. The sanitation department also shares responsibility to maintain clean and safe streets and bike lanes without dangerous debris that can lead to a collision or injury. This article shares more about the dangers and difficulties that often lead to bicycle and pedestrian accidents.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Nicanor Arenas Bermejo [License]

January 27, 2020 News
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Wind turbine blade breaks off and crashes into car

New York – Alternative energy sources are becoming ever popular in the past years, leading to concern regarding public safety and potential improper maintenance issues. Only a few weeks ago a tall and powerful wind turbine in the Bronx suffered a dangerous breakdown. A blade from the wind turbine tower broke off and collapsed onto the parking area and road below. This has led to concerns by public safety advocates who decry the race to put together new technologies as fast as possible. Some claim that large companies and even some private investors have raced to build things such as wind turbines without proper safety practices in place, all in an effort to earn profits. They note that businesses have looked toward the profits without considering the hazardous condition that can be created, especially in residential and urban areas. Land is expensive and some real estate developers have looked toward new technologies such as turbines being placed in close proximity to homes, stores and parks. However, the potential for disaster with collapse, falling debris, faulty parts and poor safety practices is very real and must be considered carefully when planning and building such technologies. Cell phone towers have also been discussed as a potential health and safety hazard in residential areas according to specialists. Many zoning and health councils have discussed the potential of cell phone towers causing cancer and the debates continue. Some see the discussion of constructing wind turbines in heavily populated areas as yet another dangerous situation that needs to be addressed by city officials. They feel that accident injuries can easily occur if broken pieces of debris collapse and fall on a pedestrian or building or if it causes a car crash. Restrictive planning along with intense safety inspections and constant maintenance is necessary to prevent injuries or wrongful death. You can see this article for more details.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Bill Smith [License]

December 20, 2019 News
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Building facade collapse kills woman on Manhattan sidewalk

New York – Building debris collapsed down onto the sidewalk below in Midtown Manhattan just two days ago. A heavy section of facade apparently fell off of the face of the building and collapsed onto the pedestrians walking below. At least one section of rubble struck a 60-year-old woman, causing her to lose consciousness. She reportedly suffered a head injury with traumatic brain injury (TBI) during the deadly accident. Emergency responders arrived to find the woman in cardiac arrest from the accident injuries. They believe the traumatic arrest was due to a skull fracture with massive bleeding in her brain. Emergency medical services attempted to resuscitate the injury victim but were unsuccessful according to witnesses. Her injuries were so severe that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene according to officials.

Citizens in New York City expressed concern for their safety when hearing about this tragedy. No one expects debris to suddenly fall from the sky. City safety inspectors from the buildings department had cited this very building’s owner for an apparently related safety hazard. Records show that this building owner was issued a ticket for improper maintenance of the building’s facade only around eight months ago. They apparently paid the fine but it is unclear whether the underlying hazardous condition was fully addressed. A safety law in New York City requires proper professional inspections of the facade of buildings every five years minimally in order to prevent a dangerous situation similar to this pedestrian accident. Building inspectors will continue their investigation into this tragedy to determine the cause of the accident with fatal injuries. In the meantime, a scaffolding was constructed around the building to prevent another immediate accident or wrongful death. You can see this article for more.

Photo of safety scaffolding for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: therealbridgetpalmer [License]

November 27, 2019 News
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Work injuries at site of construction collapse

New York – A scaffold collapse in Manhattan left two workers injured. The wounded workmen fell from the scaffolding as it collapsed according to reports. They note that one of the victims suffered serious injuries during the work accident. The other accident victim’s injuries were still being assessed but appear to be less life threatening. It is unclear whether the injuries were caused by the fall from a height or rather from being crushed under the falling construction debris. Investigators were also looking in to the cause of the construction collapse to determine if safety precautions were in place. Worker safety is supposed to be the highest priority for employers of construction and renovation companies. However, some employers have been known to take shortcuts in order to save time and money in safety equipment and training. It appears that there was an issue with the building and inadequate maintenance of the scaffolding according to reports. Improper construction or negligent maintenance, especially at a dangerous construction zone, can place the safety, health and lives of workers and bystanders at risk. Workplace accidents are a common problem, especially at construction sites that work with heavy equipment, tall ladders and scaffolds as well as electrical tools such as drills, saws and hydraulic devices. There are also complicating factors such as poor lighting, uneven or broken sidewalks and pavement, and unsteady flooring and walls or even railings and stairs. These hazardous conditions can lead to slip and fall accidents, broken bones, neck and back injuries, heady injury or even wrongful death. Read up more about this construction accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Richard Munckton [License]

September 18, 2018 News
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Increased construction injuries and deaths in New York City

New York – Construction accidents with injuries or deaths are on the rise according to statistics released by city officials. The Building Department says that there have been more reported deaths from construction accidents when comparing the current year of 2018 with reports from last year. Public safety experts blame the spike on the increased amount of building construction and renovations. Some have pointed out that the city safety inspectors haven’t been keeping up with the necessary inspections to ensure safety of workers and the public. Others believe that contractors and builders have taken advantage of the commonplace construction environment and have become lax about following safety guidelines. Workers sometimes complain about dangerous work conditions, including improper or lack of safety devices such as helmets, railings and harnesses. Even when equipment is available, workmen have noted negligent maintenance or lack of training provided to hardhats. They worry that profits make be a more important factor for employers than the safety of workers or the public. This situation can lead to a widespread hazardous condition and can easily contribute to a work injury or even wrongful death. Accidents include building collapse, falling debris, bone fractures and trip and fall accidents. See this article to understand more about the increased accidents.

Image for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Pete Jelliffe [License]

December 31, 2016 News
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Defective part leads to Honda Odyssey car recall

A popular minivan has been recalled due to a faulty part that can lead to serious injury during a car accident. The defective parts involve the seat leavers for the middle row seats that often remain unlocked. This dangerous situation causes the seat to slide during a car crash, which can potentially cause severe injuries or even wrongful death, according to collision specialists. Concerned public safety advocates note that this minivan is often used by parents for children and carpool. They warn that such a hazardous condition puts kids at risk for more serious accident injuries, including dead injury, broken bones and abdominal injuries. Industry analysts explain that the Honda corporation has had to recall several cars from their fleet of vehicles due to dangerous damaged or deficient products. It is unclear if this latest product recall has been the cause of any injury or death. If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, you can consult with a personal injury lawyer to find out your rights. You can read more about this minivan recall here.

Illustrative Photo Credit: Chris F [License]

October 10, 2016 News
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Long Island Railroad train accident injured tens of passengers

New York – This week’s train collision involved a passenger commuter train and a maintenance train. Long Island Railroad (LIRR) officials reported that there were approximately 600 passengers on the train at the time of the crash. The initial investigation reveals that the maintenance train got in the way of the commuter one as it was traveling on a nearby track. The closer-than-normal proximity of the 2 trains caused the train accident and led to the train derailment. As the trains collided and then derailed, victims were sent flying in all directions. Emergency responders reported that at least 33 accident victims were injured in the train crash. The injured people were extricated from the wreck and evacuated to area hospitals.

Commuter safety specialists and passengers alike have expressed their outrage. They complain that the train companies must tighten their safety standards to prevent such tragic accidents. They note that vehicles as large and fast as a train require the highest level of safety and accident prevention. Some have contended that safety enforcement has become too lax and has led to negligent maintenance of the equipment. They also warn that engineer drivers often speed and disregard safety directives. Many have pointed to the recent New Jersey train crash that killed one passenger and injured over 100 people on the train and in the train terminal. Federal investigators don’t believe there’s any relationship between these 2 incidents. However, public activists point to the overall environment of lax safety compliance as proof of a more systemic danger that has created a hazardous condition. You can see more about the recent train derailment with updates on the investigation here.

Illustrative photo credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority of NY [License]

November 30, 2015 News
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New York City construction accidents on the rise with inadequate safety

New York – Fast-paced building and renovation work in the city with a disproportionate increase in construction injuries and deaths has been noted recently. Worker safety experts explain that there has been a notable increase in the amount of construction but they fear that safety has fallen by the wayside. This can create a hazardous condition for workers as well as innocent passersby. Inspectors point to the fact that they have recorded many more construction deaths as well as worker injuries on construction sites. However, the statistics show that the accidents and injuries are not proportionate with the increased work volume. In addition, they note that many of the injured workers are undocumented laborers without proper worker’s comp insurance coverage by the employers. It has been suggested that this may point toward bosses pushing their employees to work too fast and not spend time and money on safety precautions. Regulations mandate employers to provide a safe work environment to ensure employee protection and to mitigate on-the-job dangers. Not doing so can make indicate a negligent employer with respect to the injury of a worker or bystander, and therefore liable for bodily injuries and wrongful death.

For an example of recent construction site disasters, see this article about a collapsed ceiling that hurt two workmen. You can also refer to this article about the rise in work injuries in New York building zones.

Illustrative Photo Credit: John Hoey [License]