Six construction workers were injured on a Queens construction site when a scaffold collapsed.
According to someone working at the site, workers heard ” a loud crack” and ” a bit of a bang” before concrete came pouring over the side of a floor, resulting in a scaffold collapse. The Department of Buildings said the crew had been working on pouring a concrete slab into a form on the eighth floor of the building.
According to the FDNY, all injured workers are expected to survive. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the worker’s friends and loved ones, as well as the coworkers and others who bore witness to this terrible tragedy.
We are thankful that everyone injured in this accident is expected to survive. When working on the 8th floor of a building, a scaffold collapse can easily result in death. However, even with a positive prognosis for these workers, it is likely that their families will face hardships due to lost earnings and medical expenses during their recovery.
This incident is the latest in a string of tragic accidents in June, coming on the heels of a fatal fall in Brooklyn, and falling construction materials injuring three workers on another Queens construction site.
The entire month of June has been a sad reminder of the dangers facing construction workers on New York City’s many construction sites. From falling objects and collapse scaffolding, there is no shortage of threats facing the men and women who make their living while wearing a hardhat.
Injuries and Deaths Don’t Have To Happen
However, the vast majority of these accidents are connected via common thread: their preventable nature. Workers falling from great heights or being crushed by objects should never be allowed to be normalized in our city’s culture. The safety of these workers is more important than shaving time off of construction timelines or minor increases in profits.
Construction workers have a role to play in this, making sure they follow safety rules on site, wear provided safety gear, and look out for the safety of their coworkers. However, construction site safety largely relies on property owners and generals contractors. They must ultimately decide that the lives of workers and the financial security of their loved ones are worth more than cutting corners to maximize profits.
Protecting The Rights of NYC Construction Workers
At Block O’Toole & Murphy, we will continue to fight for the rights of construction workers who have been injured due to negligence. We hope that stronger worker safety laws and more frequent safety inspections will become commonplace, helping to make these terrible accidents a thing of the past.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a construction-related accident, please call us anytime at 212-736-5300 or email us.