Last week wasn’t a good one for New York City’s construction industry, which has come under increasing criticism for taking safety shortcuts under pressure from high-end developers eager to capitalize on the city’s building boom.
Three workers were seriously injured in falls at three different worksites. All of them required challenging rescues by emergency responders.
From a bridge
A construction worker broke both legs on Monday after falling 25 feet from the upper deck of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. News sources report that emergency responders had to cut through a fence in order to get to the worker, who landed on a lower deck beam when he fell. They reported that he was conscious but not alert and in extreme pain when they reached him. He was transported to a local hospital and listed in stable condition.
From a crane
A worker at a massive Upper West Side residential project was seriously injured after falling from an elevated crane Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters reportedly had to conduct a high-angle rescue to reach him, after which they lowered him to a waiting ambulance.
He was rushed to a local hospital.
Onto steel
Another difficult extraction was necessary after an incident on Wednesday on the Upper East Side in which a construction worker fell on a piece of steel, sustaining a serious leg and hip injury.
EMTs had to load him into a basket and lower it six flights to the street in order to get him to an ambulance. He is expected to recover.
The incidents come one week after OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.