Construction work is one of those job fields in which workers understand that they need to be careful and comply with all of the appropriate safety regulations in order to avoid injuries. However, sometimes all the precautions workers take simply aren’t enough and, through no fault of their own, construction workers suffer injuries on the job.
Falling is one of the most common ways an injury on a construction site might occur, as is heat stroke and the repetitive use of power tools. Falling objects also commonly cause construction site injuries, as do toxic chemicals when they are inhaled by workers.
The severity of construction site injuries can vary widely. However, when workers in New York suffer serious injuries on the job, their entire family’s livelihood can be in danger. While certain benefits, such as workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability, may help workers with some of the financial setbacks they will experience due to a construction site injury, there may be other options for compensation as well, particularly if the injury was caused due to negligence or recklessness.
Note that workers’ compensation is meant to be an exclusive remedy. This means an injured worker who receives workers’ compensation benefits may not file a personal injury lawsuit against their employer if it involves the same incident. However, they may have the option of taking legal action against a third party, such as another company that was working at the same construction site, if that third party acted negligently.
Injured construction workers oftentimes face mounting medical bills and lost income from being unable to work due to the injury. Taking legal action may be an option to recover financial compensation. New York residents whose lives have been impacted by a workplace accident on a construction site may need to investigate their legal options.