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David B. Lever comments on the increase in stop work orders being issued by the New York Department of Buildings. Continue reading
prREACH
Aug 24, 2016 /prREACH/ -- Business is booming in New York which is a good thing for the residents of the state. It also means that there has been an increase in construction as businesses seek to expand. But as the number of job sites increase, so do the number of construction accidents which leave workers seriously injured and disabled. In an effort to protect these workers, the Department of Buildings has increased the number of surprise inspections on job sites, which has lead to an increase in the number of stop work orders being issued.
A stop work order can be either partial or full. If the order is partial, it means that an employer needs to only shut down the section of the job site that the DOB has determined to be unsafe, however, work may continue in other areas. A full stop work order means that an entire job site needs to be shut down. In both cases, work may resume only after all safety standards have been met and a second inspection has been made to certify that the area is safe for employees. In addition to this, all fines that were issued must be paid.
Safety for construction workers has been an issue that has gained a lot of attention from state officials in the last year due to a number of very serious accidents - accidents which could have been prevented. There has been a push not only to ensure that safety standards are being followed but also to punish employers who fail to keep their employees safe. In one case, a judge found an employer guilty of manslaughter after they didn’t remove their employee from a trench after receiving a stop work order. The employee died when the trench, which wasn’t properly fortified, collapsed on top of him.
Hopefully, by showing employers that they could face serious fines and business delays if they don’t keep employee safety in mind, accidents will be avoided and lives will be saved.