A device used to keep firefighters safe could also help prevent injuries and deaths among painters at a jobsite in New York. Workers who are involved in the lengthy process of blasting paint off a steel bridge and repainting the structure will be required to wear personal alarm systems, the New York State Bridge Authority announced recently. The systems could protect the workers in the event of falls from heights or other construction accidents.
Workers dangle 500 feet in the air after scaffold malfunctions
Window washers' lives may depend on the safety of their scaffolds. As workers clean windows many stories above street level, properly manufactured and maintained scaffolds are critical for their safety. Recently, two maintenance workers who were on the scaffolding saw firsthand what can happen when it fails. Fortunately, the workers were not injured during a dramatic rescue that transfixed onlookers. The scaffolding accident shows the dangers that window washers and others in the service business face.
Tickets for texting while driving are rising, but convictions lag
Texting while driving is illegal in New York, but drivers who are ticketed may not be punished for their violation. Since 2009 just 44 percent of the tickets issued have led to convictions. The issue has caught the attention of public safety officials as the dangers of distracted driving have become clear.
Newspaper: Subway project plagued by construction accidents
A recent newspaper investigation has found that contractors working on New York's Second Avenue subway project have received 18 safety violations and more than $61,000 in fines. The newspaper says that the long-awaited subway project has been subject to dangerous conditions and too little oversight, resulting in construction accidents and other problems.
