June 12, 2013 (Press-News.org) As part of the New York City Department of Buildings' ninth annual Construction Safety Week celebrated April 29 through May 3, 2013, the Department conducted a two-month-long safety check of the construction sites in the city. The city issued hundred of citations, revealing serious dangers for construction workers.
Construction site safety campaign
The Department of Buildings named the targeted safety inspection project Operation: Low Rise. Department officials inspected 920 low-rise construction sites located throughout New York City. Officials issued 879 Environmental Control Board violations for such issues as missing guardrails and failure to obtain proper permits for the work the construction company was doing. The fines associated with these citations amounted to over $954,000.
Threats to workers' safety
Department inspectors also issued partial Stop Work orders at 75 construction sites and full Stop Work orders at 34 sites. Inspectors issue Stop Work orders when the conditions at a construction site pose an immediate and serious threat to workers' safety. Some common reasons for Stop Work orders that inspectors encountered during Operation: Low Rise included:
- Missing work permits
- Missing fire extinguishers
- Missing or faulty guardrails and handrails
- Failure to protect building surrounding the site
Inspectors focused particular attention on enforcing unprotected openings at constructions sites and improper c-joist construction, as those were contributing factors in the deaths of two construction workers at a Brooklyn construction site in 2012. The Department also issued educational fliers, printed in English, Russian and Spanish, detailing how construction workers should conduct themselves when working near unprotected openings and installing lightweight steel c-joists to ensure safety.
Employer responsibilities
The Occupational Safety and Health Act lays out several obligations that employers have with respect to workplace safety. The law requires employers take several steps to help provide safe workplaces for employees, including:
- Examining worksites to ensure they meet OSHA safety standards
- Providing employees with proper tools and equipment necessary for their jobs
- Maintaining tools and equipment to make sure they are in proper working order
- Warning employees of potential worksite hazards through signs, posters, codes or labels
- Conducting safety training for employees in easily understandable language
When employers fail to meet their obligations to make workplaces safe for employees, tragic accidents can happen. A number of New York City construction companies are not meeting their duties, as the results of Operation: Low Rise demonstrates. Employers who let unsafe conditions persist at construction sites need to be held accountable when their negligence harms employees. If you have been injured while working at a construction site, speak with a skilled construction worker injury attorney who can help you recover for your losses.
Article provided by Keogh Crispi, P.C.
Visit us at www.keoghcrispi.com
New York City targets unsafe construction sites
As part of the New York City Department of Buildings' ninth annual Construction Safety Week in 2013, the Department conducted a two-month-long safety check of the construction sites in the city.
2013-06-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Sex crime allegations filed against California coach
2013-06-12
Allegations of a criminal sexual offense are disorienting. For a coach or teacher, sex offense charges alone can ruin a career. Responses by a school vary, but suspension of the accused coach or teacher is common pending investigation. In addition, the state licensing board can immediately suspend a teaching license. This could all occur before formal criminal charges are filed.
Stigma from a California sexual assault allegation - even if charges are later dropped or a trial results in a not guilty verdict - may still end a career working with children or the vulnerable.
The ...
Who is liable after a slip-and-fall at a New Jersey commercial building?
2013-06-12
Slip resistance testing is a scientific field that studies slippery floors. Why is this important? Many commercial buildings need to consider installing safe floor coverings that hold up after use and cleaning and reduce the number of slip-and-fall accidents injuries in heavily trafficked areas. Falls are a leading cause of emergency room visits and more than one million slip-and-fall injuries are reported across the country each year.
It may seem counterintuitive, but a shiny floor is often less slip resistant (a good thing) than a dull finish. This ties in with maintenance ...
Investment fraud allegations strike Southern California city
2013-06-12
The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused the City of Victorville, California, of defrauding investors by inflating property values in a 2008 municipal bond sale. The SEC also filed civil charges against the bond underwriters and a city official allegedly involved in the scheme, as well as against the Southern California Logistics Airport Authority.
Inflated property values
In a suit filed on April 29, 2013, the SEC alleged that the parties dramatically overstated the value of properties in an area that they planned to redevelop, and that they used the inflated ...
A review of federal estate and gift tax amounts for 2013
2013-06-12
When President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) in January of 2013, he ushered in a new era of federal estate and gift taxes for the country. New lifelong and yearly gift tax exclusions can help more people than ever before avoid the hassles and headaches associated with paying taxes on gifts or bequests from a loved one.
The 2013 bipartisan tax agreement puts into place a lifelong estate tax exclusion of $5.25 million per individual. This allows the transfer of millions of dollars worth of money, real estate, jewelry, cars, collectibles, etc., to ...
Pedestrian Accidents On The Rise In New York City
2013-06-12
While the number of car accidents in New York City is going down, pedestrian injuries and fatalities are on the rise. This is true even though New York has taken steps to increase pedestrian safety in recent years, including adding bike lanes and pedestrian plazas. What, then, has caused the increase in pedestrian accidents? What do we need to do to make our streets safer for pedestrians?
New York Pedestrian Accident Statistics
According to data from the New York Police Department (NYPD), nearly 15,500 bicyclists and pedestrians were injured in New York City in 2012. ...
Drowsy driving a factor in more accidents than previously thought
2013-06-12
When you think of dangerous driving habits, you may think of distracted driving, which has received a lot of attention in the media lately. Although activities such as texting while driving contribute significantly to the number of car accidents on the road, a new study suggests that driver fatigue is a danger that is often overlooked by safety experts.
The driver fatigue study was conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. For the study, data was collected from 100 commuters in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The study was unique because it was ...
Delinquent student loans reach record high
2013-06-12
The student debt crisis is approaching fever pitch in the United States as more borrowers than ever before falling behind on their student loan payments, Bloomberg reported recently.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 11 percent of student loans were at least 90 days past due at the end of 2012. At 90 days past due, a student loan is considered seriously delinquent. Today's delinquency rate is nearly twice that of a decade ago; in early 2003, according to the report, only 6 percent of student loans were past due by 90 days or more.
Economy compounds debt ...
As kids go back to school, Texas police step up school zone enforcement
2013-06-12
With the return to school each fall comes the increased need for Texas drivers to be aware of school zone traffic laws and be vigilant in observing them -- both to protect the safety of schoolchildren and to avoid the potential legal consequences of school zone violations in Texas.
Texas drivers who violate school zone laws can face steep penalties, even if no accident results from the violation. And, as with any traffic violation or other offense, ignorance of the law is a poor defense. Therefore, it is wise for Texas drivers to be aware of school zones and familiarize ...
With student debt at record levels, many college grads have regrets
2013-06-12
The cost of higher education in the United States has grown so high, and student loans have become so burdensome, that one-third of millennials say their time would have been better spent working than going to college, a recent Wells Fargo survey found.
For many graduates, debts are overwhelming
In the survey of 1,414 people between the ages of 22 and 32, over 40 percent of respondents characterized their debt as "overwhelming," Forbes reported. As of June 2010, student loans have outpaced credit cards as a leading source of debt for the first time on record ...
Are injured volunteers eligible for workers' compensation benefits?
2013-06-12
Within the recent tragedy of the bombing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, there are stories of selfless acts by volunteers that saved countless lives. The initial estimates of 170 injured have increased sharply to more than 280 as more people seek treatment for injuries they thought were minor - some of these people were likely volunteers who rushed to help others.
Many have praised the response of volunteers, emergency responders and race participants for quick thinking in dealing with injuries and sending the injured to the right hospitals. Yet this raises ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Advancements in organ preservation: paving the way for better transplantation outcomes
Pitt study makes new insights into the origins of ovarian cancer
Topical steroid withdrawal diagnostic criteria defined by NIH researchers
CeSPIACE: A broad-spectrum peptide inhibitor against variable SARS-CoV-2 spikes
Understanding the origin of magnetic moment enhancement in novel alloys
BU researchers develop computational tools to safeguard privacy without degrading voice-based cognitive markers
Breakthrough in rapid polymer nanostructure production
Artificial photosynthesis: Researchers mimic plants
Social disadvantage can accelerate ageing and increase disease risk
Breaking free from dependence on rare resources! A domestic high-performance permanent magnet emerges!
Symptoms of long-COVID can last up to two years after infection with COVID-19
Violence is forcing women in Northern Ireland into homelessness, finds new report
Latin American intensivists denounce economic and cultural inequities in the global scientific publishing system
Older adults might be more resistant to bird flu infections than children, Penn research finds
Dramatic increase in research funding needed to counter productivity slowdown in farming
How chemistry and force etch mysterious spiral patterns on solid surfaces
Unraveling the mysteries of polycystic kidney disease
Mother’s high-fat diet can cause liver stress in fetus, study shows
Weighing in on a Mars water debate
Researchers ‘seq’ and find a way to make pig retinal cells to advance eye treatments
Re-purposed FDA-approved drug could help treat high-grade glioma
Understanding gamma rays in our universe through StarBurst
Study highlights noninvasive hearing aid
NASA taps UTA to shape future of autonomous aviation
Mutations disrupt touch-based learning, study finds
Misha lived in zoos, but the elephant’s tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations
Eat better, breathe easier? Research points to link between diet, lung cancer
Mesozoic mammals had uniform dark fur
Wartime destruction of Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine has long-term environmental consequences
NIH’s flat 15% funding policy is misguided and damaging
[Press-News.org] New York City targets unsafe construction sitesAs part of the New York City Department of Buildings' ninth annual Construction Safety Week in 2013, the Department conducted a two-month-long safety check of the construction sites in the city.