New York Work-Related Injury Lawyers

Slip and fall accidents can occur in the workplace when safety protocols are not properly implemented by employers. Failing to keep workspaces clean and clear of spills or slippery substances can create a hazardous work environment. Slip and fall accidents commonly occur because of oversight in cleaning or clearing off walkways. The following errors in this process may leave an employee with severe injuries from an accident:

• Failing to clear off ice or rain
• Failing to clean up chemical spills
• Failing to keep items cleared off of walkways
• Failing to clean up any leaks that could make walkways slick

These mistakes can easily lead to a slip and fall accident, as slick areas and items left on the ground can cause anyone to lose their footing. Considering how serious slip and fall accidents can prove in some instances, it’s particularly important for an injured worker to realize their options after an accident.

Though workers in extremely physical jobs are more vulnerable to injury, there are a number of activities that can increase the risk of neck and shoulder injuries. Serving food, stocking shelves, using large drilling equipment, reaching up to grab office supplies, shoveling, painting, and lifting are just a few activities that put workers at a greater risk of sustaining neck and shoulder injuries. Simply walking in an office can be dangerous when basic safety precautions are neglected. The following are common workplace neck and shoulder injuries:

• Fractures – Upper arm and collarbone fractures are painful and take a while to fully heal. Complex shoulder fractures can even require surgery. Neck fractures can cause permanent or partial paralysis and even be fatal.
• Shoulder Dislocation – This is a painful condition that occurs when the shoulder is dislocated from its socket, leaving workers with impaired mobility and a number of possible symptoms like nerve damage, muscle tears, and broken blood vessels.
• Whiplash – Especially in the commercial trucking industry, whiplash is a commonly reported injury. Whiplash is a neck injury that can cause persistent head and jaw pain and cause severe migraine headaches.
• Bursitis – Bursitis describes the painful condition of the swelling of sacs in the shoulder, which causes inflammation and loss of mobility among other symptoms.
• Pinched nerves – Overuse or repetitive motion can cause pinched nerves in the neck, which can lead to a loss of mobility. Fortunately, pain associated with pinched nerves can often be cured by physical therapy and rest. In more severe cases, surgery may be necessary to relieve the distressed nerve.
• Soft tissue injuries – Rotator cuffs are muscles in the shoulder that can tear with overuse. This can be a painful injury that limits the range of the arm and makes other activities, such as sleeping or eating, uncomfortable.
• Spinal cord injuries – Spinal cord injuries can leave victims partially or completely paralyzed. In the most serious cases, spinal cord trauma can be fatal.

If you have a neck or shoulder injury because of your employer’s negligence, it is important that you document the issue as soon as possible.

Back injuries occur when managers ask their staff to lift objects that are too heavy, do not adequately inform employees of proper technique or fail to provide safety advice when informing their staff on how to best implement their job duties. Back injuries are serious and can cause secondary injuries to arise. It is best to closely monitor back pain, even if you feel the pain is minor. An employee has the right to work in a relatively safe environment where their employer has taken all necessary steps to improve overall worker safety. If an employer fails to take these precautions, they may be held responsible for the injuries, including back injuries, which workers sustain as a result. The safety mistakes responsible for these injuries may include the following:

• Overworking employees responsible for heavy lifting duties
• Requiring employees to complete heavy lifting tasks at significant heights without assistance
• Failing to provide safety devices for employees who may sustain back trauma at work
• Failing to inspect or maintain work devices that may lead to back trauma if they malfunction

These injuries can include serious health problems, such as damaged muscles, slipped disks, or even nerve problems associated with spinal damage.

Leg and knee injuries can develop over time through the stress of repetitive motions, such as frequently lifting heavy objects, or in sudden, unexpected accidents that cause immediate damage to legs or knees. Depending on your work environment, there may be a number of hazards that can contribute to knee or leg injuries, including:

• Trip hazards
• Uneven ground
• Falling debris
• Explosions
• Repetitive lifting or squatting

Safety failures should be addressed by managers or employers as soon as they are noted, or they should at least be clearly marked for workers to avoid. Failure to do so can put workers’ health at risk, leaving them in need of emergency medical care for leg and knee damages.

Head injuries can occur when regulations for safety are not strictly followed or when safety information or gear is not adequately provided to employees. If you have suffered a head injury on the job your employer should recommend immediate medical treatment as your condition may worsen with time if left untreated. When a person sustains a head injury, they may require substantial medical care. Depending on the extent of the injury and where it occurs, a person may lose mobility, develop severe pain, and even lose cognitive abilities. An employer may be held responsible for these injuries in the following instances:

• If construction safety standards for objects at a certain height or loose objects aren’t observed
• If building and ceiling fixture safety regulations aren’t followed
• If heavy objects are stored too high for employees to safely
• If sufficient safety head gear isn’t provided when needed

Among other problems, these instances of failing to take action to help employees stay safe may be grounds for legal action against that employer.

Occupational illness can come in many forms. Exposure to known irritants, gas or chemicals can seriously impair employees and create long-term health issues. These illnesses may not show symptoms immediately but can develop over time. It’s important to monitor your condition and seek medical advice for an occupational illness. For many workers, their jobs put them dangerously close to potentially hazardous or unsanitary materials. If their employers fail to take the proper steps to prevent disease, these employees may suffer devastating health consequences. The following types of employer negligence have been linked with wide-ranging occupational illnesses:

• Failure to protect employees from excessive smoke or chemical gas inhalation
• Failing to provide meat packers with safety gear
• Not providing equipment to prevent dust inhalation in industries such as construction
• Failing to provide safety gear to miners to protect them from coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (CWP), or black lung
• Not offering safety equipment to workers who handle common dermal irritants

An employer’s or manager’s lack of action or improper safety protocol may cost an employee his or her good health and ability to stay at work.

Stairwells can be a hazardous place for workers who clean and maintain staircases, as well as workers who utilize the stairwells during the course of their workday. Workers can fall up to 12 feet down a staircase, causing multiple points of impact, and many injuries, on the way from one staircase landing to another. It is the responsibility of the building owner or property manager to maintain safe walking conditions for all stairways. Some common stairwell fall accidents are due to:

• Worn or slippery surfaces, including carpeting and hardwood
• Outdoor stairs that are icy or wet
• Damaged or broken steps
• Lack of proper illumination
• Broken or damaged railings or handrails
• Dangerous, unstable or broken risers
• Trips over items such as debris or tools

If you suffered injuries due to a stairwell fall accident at work, the building owner or another negligent responsible party may be liable for your pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages, among other expenses that may have been incurred after your injury.

Workers who service, clean or repair elevators face potential injuries or death. Even in new building construction, construction workers who work near elevator shafts prior to installation, or those workers who are helping to install a new elevator are also at risk of catastrophic falls.

Even a seemingly minor accident may cause more serious complications months or years down the road, so it is essential to seek medical care following the incident to ensure that you do not have more severe unknown injuries or internal bleeding that are not visible. These medical records are also important to obtain when pursuing a legal case against the construction company in the future.

Window washers have inherently dangerous jobs, as they scale the side of buildings often at high heights to perform regular maintenance on buildings. Window washers face dangerous heights and winds each day on the job as they scale tall buildings, skyscrapers, and high-rises throughout New York City, often suspended above the ground below attached to scaffolds on ropes or by rigging on the rooftop. Some common window washer accidents are due to:

• Falls due to unguarded floor openings
• Static line failure
• Malfunctioning personnel lift
• Unsecured line
• Tools and items that fall to pedestrian below

If you were the victim of an accident while washing windows due to a building owner, manager, or other negligent party’s negligence, you may be able to file a claim against the negligent party.

No matter if painting a new building after it’s been constructed or a room in an apartment, retail store, or commercial construction site, painters face hazards that can lead to injuries every day due to falls, exposure to chemicals, or physical strains among many other common injuries related to painting work. Painters commonly work at elevated surfaces, on ladders, or scaffolding to perform their work duties.

New York has unique labor laws that protect workers. One of these laws requires building owners or contractors on job sites to provide painters and other similar workers with scaffolding and safety gear and rigging to perform their jobs.

Some common painter accidents are due to:

• Slips, falls, and trips on uneven ground or over debris
• Falls from ladders or scaffolding
• Exposure to chemicals

You are entitled to a safe place to work, and if you are not provided one, any injuries that you may sustain are not your fault.