NYC Buildings Ready to Collapse Require Emergency Construction Scaffolding

 

Scary story by Reuven Blau in yesterday's New York Post about stalled construction projects throughout NYC causing debris to rain down on innocent pedestrians. So far this year, at least 15 pedestrians have been hurt by falling construction debris.

Apparently, due to the economic slump, many mothballed construction sites are now either being demolished or shored up with emergency scaffolding sheds at triple the rate of 2007 to prevent accidents. The city has created a special five person inspection team to investigate the growing problem. Such dangerous conditions could lead to injured workers or pedestrians to file a lawsuit under Labor Law 241(6).

Like many of you, I frequently walk through the constant maze of ongoing hi-rise construction jobs in Manhattan. Until everything is shored up properly, maybe we should all be walking on the other side of the street if possible. Be careful out there!

 

  

Unsafe Concrete Could Lead to NYC Freedom Tower Construction Accidents

 

The criminal "racketeering" type charges against a major New York concrete company "shook the foundation of the city's construction industry".

According to an AP News story yesterday, Testwell Laboratories, Inc. and three of it's executives go on trial today for "enterprise corruption" for allegedly faking concrete strength tests at Ground Zero, the new Yankee Stadium, the Jet Blue Terminal at Kennedy Airport, the Second Avenue Subway and almost 100 major construction projects throughout NYC.

"The charges of faking test results cast doubt on a technical but important part of building in a city of subways and skyscrapers. Despite its bland look, concrete is carefully tailored for different uses and sensitive to variations in ingredients, storage and other factors, making testing a necessity, said Christian Meyer, a Columbia University civil engineering professor who specializes in concrete technology."

Every day New York City construction workers are hurt due to defects in concrete on the work-site. Let's hope that the failure of Testwell to do the right thing does not result in future injuries or death on some of New York's' biggest construction projects, including the current building of the Freedom Tower on the World Trade Center site.

Be careful out there

    

The Workplace Safety Blog

Law Firm Profile

 

Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP is one of New York's leading construction accident law firms for injured workers.  Practicing law out of the historic Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan, our 11 experienced attorneys combine personal attention with powerful results - a rare combination that has earned us the respect of both former clients and our adversaries.  

In 2009, our attorneys obtained a $3.2 million settlement for a carpenter injured who fell off a ladder on a large construction site in Manhattan, which says much about our legal capabilities.

Unlike many NY construction accident lawyers who focus narrowly on technical aspects of the law, Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP also gets to know our clients - the injured worker and his family members, so we can focus on their immediate financial and medical needs. We do not want our client to lose his house or have troubles obtaining proper medical care while we are "investigating" his case.

The Editor of the New York Construction Accident Law Blog is Troy G. Rosasco, a Founding Partner of Turley, Redmond Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP and one of the foremost attorneys for severely injured workers in the nation. Troy and the members of his law firm have represented over 5000 workers injured on work sites since 1990. As an undergraduate, he attended both the United States Air Force Academy  and  Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations

He obbtained his law degree at St. John's University  School of Law, where he is presently on the Board of Advisors of the new Labor Law Center. He is a member in good standing of both the New York and New Jersey Bars, in addition to the federal courts of the Eastern District of NYand the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He  has successfully argued cases as far as the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Troy has authored over 20 articles on workplace accident law for various legal periodicals, including the ABA General Practice Section Newsletter, the Queens Lawyer, the Nassau Lawyer and the Suffolk Lawyer. He was the co-author, with Prof. David Gregory of St. John's Law School, of the Legal Advisory Chapter in Warren, Gorman & Lamont's Workers' Compensation Guide.  He has been quoted on workplace injury issues in the New York Times, New York Law Journal, Newsday, and the New York Daily News. He has been a guest on the television program The Common Law and the radio programs Your Legal Rights and Learning About the Law.

Troy is currently an Executive Board Member of the New York State Injured Workers Bar Association (IWBA) and past Co-Chair of the New York Workers' Compensation Alliance . He is also a member in good standing of the New York State Trial Lawyers' Associacion (NYSTLA) .

Troy has guest lectured at both Brooklyn Law School and St. John's Law School on construction site accident injuries. He is a frequent lecturer to other attorneys and has presented Continuing Legal Education programs for the New York State Bar Association, the Nassau Bar Association and the Suffolk Bar Association. His next lecture to other trial lawyers will be "Handling Tough Issues in Plaintiff Personal Injury Actions" scheduled for November 20, 2009 and sponsored by the New York State Bar Association. rd Member of the New York State Injured Workers Bar Association and a member of the New York State Trial Lawyers' Association. He is also a member of the Attorney Grievance Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association which oversees lawyer ethical complaints.

Troy lives on the North Shore of Long island with his wife, two children and Black Labrador Retriever.

Welcome to the New York Construction Accident Law Blog

Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco, LLP is pleased to announce the launch of our new New York Construction Accident Law Blog.  As our banner above indicates, we will provide valuable information, insights and support for injured construction workers throughout New York State. As part of this public service, we will be providing you with updates on New York's special laws which protect construction workers, namely New York State Labor Law 200, Labor Law 240 (The Scaffold Law) and Labor Law 241(6) .

Every day workers are seriously injured on construction sites due to Owners, Employers and General Contractors failing to provide adequate safety equipment and protections to their employees. We will be updating this blog weekly with helpful information for injured construction workers. You can subscribe easily by either email notification or RSS feed located on the left side column of this blog. This way you will be automatically notified of new and breaking information that may be useful to you. We will also be providing on the left side a number of useful and 'must read"  links to informational resources for injured construction workers. We are still buliding additional information for the blog, so check back frequently for new features. 

The lack of adequate safety on construction sites is an ongoing problem as builders cut corners to save money. We offer this site as a public service to educate and give support to workers injured on construction sites. As part of this educational process, we welcome you to post general "comments" or "questions at the end of any of our blog posts.  If you prefer to ask specific questions about a specific case in a confidential manner, we strongly suggest that you contact us Toll Free at 1-888-9HURTWORKER (1-888-948-7896). Ask to speak to Troy Rosasco, Senior Partner, at extension 123.

Thankfully, New York State law provides special legal rights, beyond workers' compensation, to many construction workers depending upon how they were injured. The attorneys at Turley, Redmond, Rosasco & Rosasco know these special laws and the fact patterns to which they apply. Many other personal injury lawyers, who may also be handling automobile accidents, medical malpractice, class action or trip & fall cases, can honestly miss potential claims you may have causing you to lose significant money damages for you pain and suffering. Because we have been handling construction site accident cases every day for over 20 years, we will not miss any potential lawsuit you may have and we will advise you of your rights.

Thank you for visiting our new blog and we look forward to serving you, the injured construction worker, in the future.