New York City is constantly under construction. One result is that construction accidents continue to happen in all five boroughs. However, New York is not alone in this. Because construction is such a dangerous job, workplace accidents involving ladders, scaffolding, construction vehicles, trenches, toxic substances and many other aspects of the construction industry happen all over the United States.
For example, a Tennessee bulldozer operator was killed recently when he drove his equipment off a 25-foot cliff at an area Ford plant. His bulldozer fell off a ledge into a pit of water. When another worker noticed that the operator could not be found, the rescue squad used divers from the county sheriff’s office to find the bulldozer operator.
As an example of the seriousness of bulldozer accidents, a Philadelphia man recently received a $20 million settlement after he lost his leg when the young son of the company’s owner was allowed by his father to operate a bulldozer on the worksite.
A quick search of Internet news sites reveals that bulldozer accidents have recently occurred in West Virginia, Alaska and farther afield in Australia and Cyprus. Closer to home, bulldozer accidents have occurred at the Brookhaven landfill on Long Island,. A man was killed in upstate New York a few years ago when the bulldozer he was operating travelled 250 feet without operator control before coming to rest against a tree.
What these examples show that although infrequent, bulldozer accidents are devastating. The sheer size and weight of the equipment means that most accidents will be serious if not fatal. Employers need to make sure that workers are properly trained in the operation of the equipment and that all safety precautions are followed by everyone involved in operating this type of construction vehicle.