Although there are federal, state and local agencies with regulations designed to protect you and other construction workers in New York, serious and even fatal injuries are still being sustained on job sites around the city. The continuing increase in accidents and the dangers you may face have brought more attention to the ongoing concerns about safety. At The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny in Manhattan, construction workers have often asked us for advice about who is responsible in an accident on the job site.

According to the New York Times, a New York Supreme Court judge will soon be delivering a sentence for a construction company that was found responsible for a worker’s fatal accident. The man’s construction-related death was one of several in 2015, and investigations have concluded that proper supervision and training would have prevented at least some of these. In addition, many companies have been accused of pressing workers to ignore safety measures in order to complete jobs faster.

You may be aware of workers’ families who have won settlements in some civil cases, but the ruling stating that the company is guilty of criminal charges is unusual. A trench cave-in allegedly caused the death, and second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment were the convictions. The company is facing thousands of dollars in fines for ignoring warnings about hazards.

City investigators and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration have also implicated two managers and a subcontractor, who have not yet been to trial. For more information about job safety and oversight on construction sites, please visit our page.