Construction Accidents | Negligent Training, Hiring or Supervision of Construction Workers
If your supervisor is hiring unqualified or poorly trained workers and not following up with training or instruction or is not providing close supervision, your work environment may become unsafe. The contractor is responsible for workers and ensuring a safe job site. If the supervisor is absent and no supervision is occurring, this also points to negligence.
Heavy equipment safety is crucial on a job site and operators must know how to handle machinery properly and abide by safety regulations. Supervisors must ensure this occurs, and ultimately the responsibility lies with the contractor.
Unfortunately, with high demands to complete building projects, sometimes construction companies and supervisors cut corners in an attempt to get the job done quickly or cheaply. In many cases, workers are the ones who suffer for it. Negligent training or supervision of construction workers often becomes an issue under the pressure to meet deadlines.
New York State laws and Federal laws under OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) heavily regulate the construction industry by establishing safety guidelines for supervisors who must see that workers are properly trained in safety guidelines. Doing so ensures work environments exist that will protect workers as much as possible. Given the dangerous nature of the construction industry such regulation is vital.
Property owners and building contractors bear the legal responsibility of maintaining a safe construction site environment.
Responsible Versus Negligent Supervision
Whenever construction companies are in violation of OSHA or New York State construction regulations, such violations point to negligence. If you have worked at a construction site and have experienced a supervisory failure to adhere to the following, you may have legal standing to bring a claim of negligent supervision if you have been injured:
- Failure to train workers so they understand the nature of fall hazards, falling objects and proper handling of equipment
- Failure to use safety equipment such as guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, warning line systems, safety monitoring systems or established controlled access zones
- Training workers on the proper way to store and handle equipment and materials
- Enforcement of safety guidelines and regulations
- Correcting workers who fail to adhere to safety standards by retraining them
- Training supervisors in safety precautions so they can in turn train workers and motivate safe work practices
- Paying for and providing workers with personal protective equipment (at no cost to the employee) and ensuring that they use it
Consult with Our Lawyers about Third Party Construction Injury Claims
If you or a family member have been seriously injured on the job, it is vital that you seek legal advice as soon as possible. Workers often face financial hardship as a result of injury. An experienced construction accident lawyer can help you recover compensation for personal injuries, past and future pain and suffering, and the costs of present and future medical care, lost wages, and lost future wages along with pain and suffering.
We offer a free consultation to evaluate your accident and injury. When families lose a loved one as a result of a construction accident, in many cases they can pursue a wrongful death claim.
Call us toll free at 888.519.6400, or contact us in Garden City at 516.248.2234, or in Flushing-Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx at 718.539.3100. You can also fill in our contact form, and we will get in touch with you.