Utility Worker Injuries
New York Utility Worker Injury Lawyers Who Know What It Takes to Get Results
Everyone has heard of asbestos and knows that it’s a dangerous construction material that was used in old buildings. Despite asbestos eradication efforts, aging apartment buildings, warehouses, municipal buildings, even power stations built with asbestos are frequently the site of utility worker job-injuries due to asbestos exposure. Their work involves ripping out old plaster and insulation, running piping or electric lines through old basements or working at the center of asbestos removal projects.
Sadly, no face mask prevents workers from breathing in asbestos fibers in the air, and the asbestos particles get on their clothes as well, exposing family members. Long-term asbestos inhalation can lead to asbestosis, a lung disease that causes lung scarring, restricted breathing, cough, chest pain, tight chest and, for some utility workers, mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the lung lining. Individuals and families have turned to New York utility worker injury lawyers to help them pursue compensation. As seasoned personal injury lawyers, we see utility worker asbestosis and mesothelioma all too often and fight hard to obtain workers compensation benefits for injured utility workers and their families.
Who is at risk of utility worker injuries?
The types of workers most at risk of sustaining utility worker injuries include:
- Electrical line workers
- Substation technicians
- Meter installers and repairers
- Water and wastewater treatment operators
- Gas service technicians
- Telecommunications technicians
- Utility foresters and tree trimmers
- Renewable energy technicians
- Utility inspectors
Utility Workers Injured by Electrocution, Gas Leak Explosions, Falls and Ear Damage
Other types of New York utility worker injuries are in the news nearly every day, as well as tragic reports of utility worker deaths on the job: A Brooklyn utility power line installer was electrocuted when the aerial lift bucket he was in touched live voltage. A Queens utility pipefitter was hurt by a leaky gas line explosion. A Hurricane Sandy utility lineman suffered a severe electric shock while repairing downed lines. A utility company employee suffocated due to lack of oxygen after being stuck in the confined space under a manhole cover, where underground gases were strong enough to cause asphyxiation.
Common types of utility worker accidents and injuries include:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Struck by object accidents
- Caught in or between accidents
- Traffic-related incidents
- Noise-induced hearing loss
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Trench and excavation accidents
- Exposure to hazardous materials
How can I get compensation for a utility worker injury?
All involved utility worker hazards that could have been prevented, if proper safety training, protective gear standards and/or the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations had been followed. And no matter what the cause-on-the-job utility worker injuries due to Consolidated Edison (Con Ed) violations of workplace safety standards, employer negligence or defective utility work equipment-workers compensation insurance companies must compensate victims, according to New York state law. This includes financial compensation for medical costs and a portion of a worker’s average weekly wages.
If your utility accident was caused by someone other than your employer, you may also be entitled to additional compensation through a third-party work injury claim. While workers’ compensation in New York is a no-fault system, you must prove negligence in a third-party claim. In addition to medical expenses and wage reimbursement, a third-party claim can cover pain and suffering, as well as other non-economic damages.
How a Utility Worker Injury Lawyer in New York Can Fight for Your Rights
Utility work itself varies widely, from handling electric equipment such as transformers, fuses, meters, switches, lighting arrestors and voltage regulators to repairing and dismantling old pipes, power poles, towers and other utility equipment to working in overhead and underground transmission facilities. In addition to airborne asbestos fibers, workers are regularly exposed to extreme heat, cold, noise, dust and heights and must regularly climb, lift, kneel, bend, twist and stand, sometimes for their entire work shift. As experienced workers comp lawyers in New York, we see injuries of all types, including lifting injuries, falls from heights, shoulder and neck injury and hearing loss, due to loud workplace noise ear damage.
If you are a utility worker injured in New York, call Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP toll-free at (800) 692-3717 or contact us online for a free evaluation. You deserve compensation for your injuries.