- February 12, 2025
- Tucker Law
- Work Injury
Any construction job site is dangerous, and those in New York City are no different. Nearly 200,000 construction workers miss one or more days of work each year due to an on-the-job injury. If you are one of them, you know how it can affect your finances. Knowing the most common construction site injuries in NYC and how they typically occur is the first step to preventing them from affecting you and your work.
What Are the Most Common Construction Site Injuries in NYC?
Falls, slips, and trips are some of the more common ways construction workers sustain injuries on the job. These and other accidents can lead to several types of injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Any type of fall can cause you to hit your head on the ground, leading to a concussion or other brain injury. Millions of Americans sustain concussions every year under various circumstances, including construction site injuries. While many of these concussions are minor and result in no lasting harm, any traumatic head injury has the potential to cause severe complications.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Falls can also lead to spinal cord trauma if you land on your back. Your vertebrae and discs provide some protection to your spinal cord, but it can still sustain damage. Depending on where the injury is and its severity, you may feel numbness or tingling in your extremities or pain that radiates down your arms and legs.
In extreme cases, spinal cord damage can lead to paralysis, which is the inability to use your arms or legs. This condition can be permanent if the spinal cord suffers irreparable harm.
Broken Bones
Although broken hips, leg bones, and arms may not be as permanently disabling as severe brain injuries and spinal cord trauma, bone fractures can still be painful and expensive. As one of the most common construction site injuries in New York City, they can lead to weeks or months of reduced earning potential as your bone heals.
Burns
Fire and heat are not the only environmental hazards on a construction job site that can cause burns. Dangerous toxic substances can cause chemical burns if they come into contact with exposed skin. Defective power tools or exposed power lines can cause electrical burns. No matter the cause, second- and third-degree burns are medical emergencies that require treatment.
Loss-of-Limb and Crushing Injuries
Heavy machinery and power tools on a construction site can quickly cause the loss of fingers, toes, or other body parts. Moving gears, compactors, and other similar devices can crush a body part. In either case, you could permanently lose the use of the affected body part.
Common Causes of Construction Accidents
The most common cause of construction site injuries is negligence. This term refers to actions and behaviors a reasonably careful individual would not do. Opportunities for negligence abound on the construction site. For example, it is negligent when:
- A worker drives a truck or heavy machine without first looking where they are going
- Someone picks up a power tool and begins using it without being properly trained
- An employee climbs scaffolding or onto a roof without a fall-arrest device
- Electricians install power lines without double-checking to ensure they are installed safely
- Hazardous materials are carelessly stored where they can be knocked over and spilled.
Some individuals’ conduct crosses the line from negligence to recklessness. The latter term describes behavior that disregards a real and significant risk of injury. Driving a heavy truck too fast through a construction site or deliberately disregarding safety instructions when using power tools are common examples of reckless behavior.
If you have been injured because of someone’s reckless or negligent conduct on the job, contact Tucker Lawyers at (516) 399-2364 to discuss your next steps.
Prevention Is Key: Safety Measures on Construction Sites to Reduce Injuries
All of the most common NYC construction site injuries can be prevented through the exercise of due care. What due care looks like depends on the situation you find yourself in.
- If you are working on a ladder or at a height, make sure your safety equipment is in good order and you are using it correctly.
- Do not handle any power tools or equipment you have not been trained to use.
- Use eye, ear, head, and other protective equipment as needed for your work.
- Bring others’ unsafe behavior to your supervisors’ attention immediately.
- Identify dangerous working conditions and bring them to the appropriate person’s attention.
These measures may seem like they will put you behind schedule. However, when you consider the time you could miss from work if you are injured, these simple preventive steps are a small investment to make.
What Are the Roles of Employers and Workers in Injury Prevention?
Employers and employees each have a role to play in preventing workplace injuries. Employees should follow their supervisors’ instructions and receive safety training. If they notice damaged or malfunctioning equipment, they should inform their manager promptly, which can prevent catastrophic workplace injuries.
Finally, employees should look after one another while at work. If you notice another employee is in a dangerous situation or acting in an unsafe manner, you should bring this to the employee’s attention. If necessary, report the issue to the employee’s supervisor for additional corrective action.
For their part, employers have a duty to cultivate a safety-conscious environment on the job site. This includes providing regular briefings on hazards and what to do when they are encountered. They must also provide appropriate safety equipment to their workers and replace this equipment when it becomes damaged.
If an employer learns that an employee consistently behaves unsafely, the employer should take appropriate disciplinary action. Allowing an unsafe employee to continue acting in this manner is negligent and dangerous and exposes other workers to an unreasonable risk of harm.
Opportunities for negligence abound on the construction site.
Contact a New York City Construction Accident Lawyer Today
Whether you have sustained one of the most common construction site injuries in New York City or were hurt in some other way at work, you have rights. At Tucker Lawyers, our team will use our knowledge and resources to help you pursue the financial benefits and compensation you may be entitled to receive.
Contact Tucker Lawyers at (516) 399-2364 after a construction site accident and request a consultation.
Managing Attorney John. J. Tucker, Esq.
John has personally handled thousands of clients who were victims of another’s negligence and fights relentlessly for their rights. John enjoys bringing closure to a client’s matter so that the injured party can move forward with their life. His background enables him to evaluate complex liability related claims and bring resolution to claims in a record time frame. [ Attorney Bio ]