Construction workers’ accidents: Fatal fall from 42nd floor

The number of fatalities in the construction industry in New York listed by the city varies from that published by the federal government. Reportedly, the city’s recorded data only includes construction workers’ accidents that occurred due to violations of the construction code of the city. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s records include all construction-related deaths.

Going on the numbers reported by OSHA, the death of a worker on a recent Thursday was the seventh fatality on a construction site this year. Reportedly, emergency workers were called to the location of the Flatotel project in Midtown Manhattan shortly after 2 p.m. to find a seriously injured construction worker in an unconscious state. Apparently, the man fell 42 stories to his death.

No information was available related to what the employee was doing and what led to his fall. It is also not known whether the man was wearing fall protection at the time of the accident. All employees working at heights must have adequate protective equipment that would arrest a fall in such an unfortunate event. This victim’s injuries proved to be fatal, and his death was pronounced at the scene.

The fact that compliance with safety regulations could have avoided many fatal construction workers’ accidents makes it even more difficult for the surviving family members to move forward after such tragedies. Financial assistance is available through the New York workers’ compensation program. Death benefits may be claimed for coverage of expenses related to a funeral and burial along with a percentage of lost income that will be based on the deceased worker’s weekly wage.

Source: therealdeal.com, “Construction worker falls to his death from Chetrit Group’s Flatotel conversion project“, Sept. 15, 2016