s

Tag Archives: negligent maintenance

September 29, 2021 News
0

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]

July 13, 2021 News
0

Injured worker in grocery store machinery accident

New York – Fire Department rescuers responded to a call for a man with his arm caught inside of a ‎meat grinder machine in a horrific accident. Witnesses say that the worker in the meat department was ‎operating the meat grinder when his shirt sleeve became caught by the machine. The machine then ‎pulled the man’s arm into the grinding machine by the entangled shirt. The first responder rescue ‎team had to disassemble the machine in order to extricate the work injury victim while medical ‎responders stabilized his condition to the best of their abilities. Paramedics explain that he suffered a ‎serious arm injury including lacerations of soft tissue and muscle as well as possible nerve damage and ‎laceration of blood vessels. In addition, there was concern regarding broken bones from the accident. ‎The injured accident victim was rushed to the emergency room trauma center for additional care. ‎Investigators are looking into whether proper training and safety gear was provided to the worker for ‎this specific machine. Also, machine maintenance records will need to be reviewed to ensure that ‎proper repairs were performed and preventative maintenance was up-to-date. Trauma and worker’s ‎compensation experts note that negligent maintenance can sometimes lead to similar devastating ‎accidents and injuries for workers. This article shares more details about this horrific work accident.‎

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Chuck D [License]

June 30, 2021 News
0

Ferry accident in Brooklyn blamed on equipment failure

New York – A private ferry boat accident occurred when the boat ran aground this past ‎weekend. Reports show that the ship was filled with over 100 people when it suffered a steering ‎failure and the engine was apparently unresponsive. Luckily the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ‎emergency responders were able to located the damaged vessel quickly and rescue the passengers. ‎Officials say that at least one person on board the boat crash suffered injuries. That injury victim was ‎taken to the hospital for emergency evaluation. It is unclear if any other accident victims sought ‎medical care after being rescued. Boat and sailing safety experts say that there have been several ‎boating accidents in New York over the past few months. Transportation and boat safety Investigators ‎will need to examine the maintenance logs and safety protocols followed by the ferry company in ‎order to determine if any negligent maintenance could have helped lead to this boat crash. See this ‎article for more about these ferry crash.‎

Photo of unassociated ship for illustrative purposes only. Photo credit:‎ -EZEK [License]

June 02, 2021 News
0

Police officers injured in Sunset Park elevator accident

New York – Over twenty New York Police Department (NYPD) and federal law enforcement officers ‎were involved in an elevator collapse accident while at work. The on-the-job accident occurred ‎when the team of police officers and personnel were possibly moving equipment into the building. ‎The elevator apparently suffered an equipment malfunction when it suddenly collapsed down to the ‎basement level. Officials will need to look over maintenance records to determine if negligent ‎maintenance could have contributed to this accident with injuries. Extensive safety devices and ‎protocols are in place to ensure that such an elevator accident doesn’t occur. However, proper upkeep ‎is necessary to ensure that public safety is protected. Specifics of injuries suffered during this work ‎accident are unclear but at least one police officer was transported to the emergency department. He ‎was suffering with a back injury and he was taken by ambulance for treatment. Ambulance, paramedic ‎and rescue personnel rushed to the scene and described the events. Concern has been raised about ‎additional spinal injuries or occult fractures and even internal bleeding and injuries. Accident specialists ‎explain that an accident at work already raises significant concerns but an injured worker in law ‎enforcement includes additional problems that can add to injury and disability. The weapons and ‎extensive equipment that is carried by a cop or other enforcement agent can cause injuries and even ‎difficulty in functioning when trying to return to work. See this article for ‎additional information about this work related elevator accident.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Bob B. Brown [License]‎

March 30, 2021 News
0

Elevator accident kills assistant superintendent in Brooklyn

New York – An assistant superintendent building worker was crushed to death after being dragged into some moving elevator equipment. The elevator accident occurred after the maintenance worker was attempting to retrieve something that had fallen down into the elevator shaft. He was caught by the elevator cables as they moved along the elevator car above. Building safety specialists say that safety protocols and mechanisms should have been in place to prevent such a work accident. Some workplace safety advocates have asked why the elevator maintenance room was not properly secured with guards in place to prevent a person from getting caught up in the ropes, gears and motor. In addition, concern has arisen as to whether or not negligent maintenance or even faulty manufacturing could have contributed to such a fatal accident. Heavy machinery such as elevators require constant proper maintenance and inspections. Work accidents are a big concern for union leaders and work safety personnel. A worker’s comp injury can come about from all sorts of dangerous conditions found in the average workplace according to specialists. This can range from a car accident, to a slip and fall accident or even falling debris that can cause a head injury, internal bleeding or broken bone. An accident with injuries can easily lead to a permanent disability, sick leave and even wrongful death. You can find more details about this work accident in this article.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Jeremy Noble [License]

February 17, 2021 News
0

Multiple winter-related accidents and injuries reported in New York

New York – Winter snow, ice and rain have made for dangerous conditions on roads as well as public and private properties. There have been many reported car accidents, slip and fall injuries and even sledding accidents in a public NYC park due to the weather. It should be noted that homeowners and business owners alike have a responsibility to keep their walkways, sidewalks and parking lots in good repair and cleared of snow and ice. This often includes the need to spread salt in order to prevent a slip and fall accident. Public safety advocates also say that winter potholes and damage to sidewalks or parking lots must be repaired to prevent trip and fall accidents too. Negligent maintenance can sometimes include untimely repairs or neglecting to shovel snow and ice in a reasonable manner. You can see this article for more about the recent rash of winter accidents in the area.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: anokarina [License]

December 21, 2020 News
0

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]

November 30, 2020 News
0

Scaffolding collapse injures workers on West Side of Manhattan

New York – Two window washers were injured on the job while working on the side of a skyscraper at Hudson Yards. Reports show that they were working on a scaffold when it apparently gave way and collapsed with the workers inside. According to responders the accident victims fell along with the scaffolding rig approximately twenty feet down and suffered a fall accident with injuries. It does not appear that the men slipped out of the rig but it is unclear if that is due to safety harness equipment that is standard issue for dangerous work at a height. Safety inspectors will also need to make sure that the workers were properly trained for the job and in the use of all legally required safety equipment and procedures. In addition, it is necessary to inspect the maintenance records for the scaffold equipment as well as the harnesses and safety devices. Negligent maintenance can easily lead to a scaffold collapse or construction accident and therefore proper maintenance records are needed in such situations. One injured worker was taken in serious condition to the trauma room of a close hospital while the other injury victim was taken to the emergency room in stable condition, both with unknown wounds. The work accident may be covered by worker’s compensation insurance coverage, however, this would require further investigation. This article explains more about this work injury.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Edwin Martinez [License]

November 16, 2020 News
0

Bicycle accident responsible for another preventable traffic fatality

New York – Yet another bicyclist died in a bike crash in Brooklyn. The rider was hit by a car during a car crash that caused serious injuries. The bicycle rider apparently had gone through an intersection with a stop sign and was struck by the car. He sustained a severe head injury with and was taken to the hospital. Details regarding the nature of his accident injuries are unclear but he apparently suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Hospital officials report that the injured bicyclist was treated for his injuries for several days but ended up dying from those wounds. It is believed that the brain damage, or TBI, caused by the car accident left the man critically injured and certainly contributed to his death. Other internal injuries or bleeding has not been fully ruled out at this point.

New York City traffic safety advocates say that this was yet another preventable traffic accident. They believe that this car crash led to the wrongful death of the rider. The responsibility to create and maintain safe roads, including bicycle lanes, is the responsibility of the city transportation board. Some feel that they have not done enough to build and properly maintain acceptable safety standards in order to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. They note that drivers need to have clear designations as to where to drive and how to maintain safety in order to protect others sharing the roads. Clear road signs are not always present or visible. At the same time, road maintenance crews must be dispatched to fix damaged and dangerous sections of road and intersections. Some feel that negligent maintenance has created a hazardous situation for everyone on the road. You can check out more about this bicycle crash and another deadly pedestrian accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Eli Christman [License]

July 31, 2020 News
0

Rash of rental electric scooter accidents in New York City

New York – Electric moped scooters are a new rage in the rental and sharing market in the city. However, they have been involved in an increasing number of Revel electric scooter crashes according to news reports. Officials say that reckless drivers and other possible safety concerns have been implicated in these recent motor vehicle accidents. Concern has risen for the lack of safety equipment and warnings as well as training in the safe operation of these potentially dangerous electric vehicles. Pedestrians and motorists alike have expressed outrage regarding the dangerous condition that these vehicles have created. Pedestrian accidents with these moped scooters can cause serious injuries and even wrongful death. One woman was killed in an accident after she was thrown from one of these scooters. The accident injuries from these crashes can include bone fractures, head injury and spinal injuries as well as internal bleeding. Experts warn that the market must be well regulated and safety must be the foremost concern – safety of the riders, pedestrians, bicyclists and even cars and trucks on the roads. Special care and tracking must ensure that these high speed mopeds are not driven on sidewalks, in parks or other areas frequented by pedestrians and children. In addition, concern regarding proper safety equipment and preventative maintenance of these vehicles are essential. Negligent maintenance can easily lead to catastrophic results including injury, permanent disability and death. The seriousness of the current hazardous situation has led to the Revel company suspending the use of their vehicle sharing network in New York City. Check out this article for more about these moped accidents and the program suspension.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Arun D [License]