Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Construction is the backbone of New York City, shaping the skyline and creating safe spaces for families, businesses, and communities. This vital work also carries serious risks, especially for those who spend their days on scaffolds, ladders, and steel beams. When safety systems fail, the consequences can be devastating. If you are injured in a fall, a workers’ compensation lawyer at Shulman & Hill can protect your rights and guide you through the claims process.
Recent data confirms how urgent this issue remains. In 2023, nearly one in five workplace deaths nationwide occurred in construction, and falls accounted for more than one-third of those fatalities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Locally, the New York City Department of Buildings reported 53 fall-related injuries and three worker deaths in the first four months of 2025 alone, with fatalities recorded in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. These tragedies underscore the importance of prevention, accountability, and strong legal support for injured workers and their families.
New York City Construction Hazards
With over 250 skyscrapers over 40 stories tall, New York City has more high-rise buildings than any other U.S. city. That scale of construction demands constant work at dangerous heights, where one mistake or missing safety measure can have devastating consequences.
Some of the most common causes of construction site fall accidents include:
- Scaffold hazards: missing guardrails, unstable platforms, or inadequate anchoring.
- Ladders: unsecured, worn, or set at unsafe angles; slips/collapses while carrying tools.
- Open edges/stairwells: unprotected floor openings or shafts without barriers.
- Worksite mess: slippery or cluttered walking/working surfaces and elevated platforms.
- Fall protection: defective/missing harnesses, lifelines, or anchor points.
These hazards regularly result in catastrophic injuries. A fall from even a few stories can cause spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, shattered bones, or long-term loss of mobility. For many workers, recovery requires months of medical care and rehabilitation, while others are left with permanent impairments that prevent them from returning to their trade.
When employers or contractors fail to enforce safety rules, workers and their families are often left to deal with the life-changing aftermath. Strong construction site safety standards enforcement is critical to preventing tragedies and protecting New Yorkers who build and maintain the city.
OSHA Fall Prevention Policies
OSHA lists several policies that must be followed by employers, as well as many guidelines to help prevent falls from occurring in the workplace. Some steps that they recommend to reduce the risk of falls are:
- Fully functional personal fall arrest equipment must be provided, maintained, and in use at all times. Some examples of these may be safety harnesses and lines, safety nets, stair railings, or handrails.
- Floor holes that workers or other people could accidentally walk into must be fully covered, usually using a railing and toeboard or a floor hole cover.
- Elevated open-sided floors and platforms must have guardrails and toeboards.
- Work areas must be kept clean and as dry as possible.
- Workers must be trained about hazards in a language that they can understand.
- Work conditions must be kept free of any known additional dangers.
Recent New York City Construction Accidents
Despite decades of regulations and oversight, serious falls from heights continue to occur across New York City construction sites, powerfully reminding us of the daily dangers faced by union laborers, scaffolders, and other trades working high above the ground.
In July 2024, a construction worker in Harlem tragically died after his leg became caught in a rope that pulled him to the ground, marking yet another reminder of the dangers facing New York’s labor force. In January 2025, a worker in Midtown fell 40 feet from a catwalk and was killed, prompting the NYC Department of Buildings to issue a stop-work order and launch an investigation.
Four months later, two workers in Little Italy were discovered unconscious in a stairwell; one died at the scene, and the other shortly after at the hospital, and in June, a worker at Hudson Yards was rescued from a 30-foot hole on site after sustaining a head injury, a near-tragedy that raised further concerns about worker safety across New York City construction projects.
These incidents add to a growing list of preventable tragedies in one of the nation’s most dangerous job fields, underscoring the urgent need for strict safety compliance and strong legal protection.
Addressing the Aftermath of a Fall From Heights in NYC
A fall from heights can change your life in seconds. Medical bills, time away from work, and the uncertainty of recovery often feel overwhelming for injured workers and their families. Knowing the right steps can make a critical difference in your financial and physical recovery.
- Seek immediate medical treatment to stabilize injuries and create a record of care.
- Document the scene with photos and witness statements, if possible.
- Notify your employer about the accident as soon as you are able.
- Review whether paid time off may apply while pursuing workers’ compensation benefits.
- Hire an experienced lawyer to protect your rights and pursue the benefits you deserve.
Because falls often result in permanent impairments, you may qualify for wage replacement benefits or a schedule loss of use award. However, employers and insurers do not always make this process easy. Working with an experienced law firm like Shulman & Hill ensures that deadlines are met, benefits are pursued aggressively, and third-party claims are investigated when negligence played a role.
How Shulman & Hill Can Help
The compassionate construction accident attorneys at Shulman & Hill understand that workers trying to provide for their families deserve the best representation possible when things go wrong. Construction work can be inherently dangerous, but that is all the more reason why employers, property owners, and independent contractors need to take every step possible to protect their employees and foster safe and healthy working conditions for everyone involved.
If you or someone you know was injured in a fall at a construction site, you deserve dedicated, focused legal representation.
“At Shulman & Hill, we’ve handled many serious construction accident cases involving falls from heights, some of the most devastating incidents in the industry. In one representative case, our client, a union laborer, was working on a multi-story building when he fell over 7 feet from an unguarded scaffold that lacked proper fall protection. Despite OSHA regulations requiring safety harnesses and guardrails, the site was poorly maintained, and no adequate safety systems were in place. The injuries were life-altering: multiple fractures, spinal trauma, and long-term loss of mobility. We immediately launched an investigation, securing site photos, witness statements, and safety records. Our legal team brought in construction safety experts to prove violations of New York Labor Law §§ 240(1) and 241(6), which hold property owners and contractors strictly liable for failing to provide proper fall protection.”
Alex Shulman,
Founding Partner
Shulman & Hill has a proven track record of helping New Yorkers who were wrongfully injured secure hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. Contact us for a free, no-obligation legal review of the facts of your case, and gain a better understanding of how we may help.
