In what appears to be a textbook case of a worksite safety statute violation, earlier today it was reported that a worker fell over 30 feet into a pit at a construction site located in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. According to news reports, he remains in critical condition.
Some of the comments published in response to this news story were more than a bit unkind; without any apparent further knowledge as to who was involved or how the accident actually occurred, one person opined that this was likely a "Non-Union Work site which are prone for accidents and lack safety procedures to protect pedestrians and workers alike."
Leaving aside the manifest impropriety of such a remark, it behooves us to remember that the legislature, in its wisdom, specifically crafted worker safety statutes for worksites for precisely this reason: to make sure that workers are furnished with all necessary safety equipment, and in particular, to guard against gravity-related hazards.
For additional information on this topic, please see "How to Prove a Construction Site Accident Case in New York."
