Two construction workers were injured Wednesday August 6th, 2014, in Greenwich Village when elevator cables snapped, causing the elevator to drop half a floor. The workers were part of a 12-apartment renovation at the 56 West 11th St. apartment building.
According to reports, the workers had opened up the elevator car's ceiling hatch and had pushed pipes through the hatch. When the pipes got tangled in the cables it caused the cables to snap.
An increase in construction around New York City and its surrounding boroughs is generally viewed as a sign of an economic rebound. In recent years, New York has seen a dramatic increase in residential high-rise construction, hotel redevelopment, the initiation of large transportation projects, as well as an increase in construction projects in general. It is certainly a good economic indicator for New Yorkers that we are starting new buildings and that construction workers are given more opportunities in their profession.
With the sheer number of New Yorkers that use public transportation every day, it should come as no shock that the majority of individuals believe public transportation is one of the safest modes there is. Countless deadly car crashes and truck accidents are reported each day, but rarely are there any bus or train accidents right? Wrong, and disturbingly, the numbers are only increasing.
Although, every construction worker goes to work fully aware of these possible dangers, this type of career choice holds certain occupational hazards which often lead to workplace accidents. These accidents may result in personal injuries.
This was the environment for a construction worker, this past June, in Queens New York. A construction worker was pulled from a 25-foot trench by firefighters after a rescue effort that went on for more than two hours at a site where work was supposed to be suspended.