Tragedy was avoided this afternoon in midtown Manhattan after two workers had to be rescued after their scaffold became stuck in mid-air. The workers were helplessly hanging over midtown Manhattan, uncertain of their fate, after their movable scaffold lost power while they were suspended 22 stories above the unforgiving concrete jungle.
Members of the FDNY saved the day. They completed the daring rescue by retrieving the workers after cutting through the plate glass window on the 22nd floor of the 30-floor building. Wary New Yorkers roared with approval, some, perhaps, knowing that another construction worker was killed the day before in a senseless Staten Island construction roofing accident.
It is no secret that the number of construction accidents and resulting fatalities have soared in 2015. This story concludes with a happy ending.
Nevertheless, it is important to learn from the experience so future tragedies can be avoided. It is unclear at the present time how the scaffold came to malfunction as the scaffolding company and mechanics continue to investigate. The investigation will likely also involve inspectors from the Department of Buildings of New York City. Their findings will be revealing.
Such an incident highlights the need for providing proper safety equipment to prevent scaffolding injuries and deaths among those who work at extremely elevated heights. The inherent risks associated with working at such heights goes without saying, as should the necessity that such workers are provided with the necessary equipment. Safe equipment includes functioning electric scaffolds. It is safe to say that the resulting congested traffic in the area was more than worth the lives that were saved by New York’s bravest.
Block O’Toole & Murphy is a law firm committed to the value of promoting worker safety. They have recovered more than $850,000,000 in verdicts and settlements for their clients, many of which include injured construction workers.
Source: Workers rescued after scaffold gets stuck 22 floors up Midtown building | abc7ny.com