Eye Injuries & Vision Loss on Construction Zones in New York City, NY

The eye is a sensitive part of the body and is prone to great damage from even a relatively minor irritant. When you are working at a New York City construction site, many different physical and chemical hazards exist that can cause damage to your eyes or permanent vision loss, changing your life forever.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 2,000 workers every day suffer from a job-related eye injury necessitating medical treatment. Because there are so many hazards at a construction site, many of these injuries are construction injuries.

If you are one of the New York City construction workers injured in a construction accident that causes eye injuries, David Resnick & Associates, PC, can help. Our New York City eye injury lawyers are skilled at evaluating construction accident claims and can help you determine whether the negligence of a third party caused or contributed to your injuries. We also can help if you were a non-employee injured while visiting a construction site. Call our New York City construction accident lawyers today at 212-279-2000 or use our online contact form for a free evaluation of your case.

We represent construction accident victims in the Bronx and all of New York City, including Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Long Island.

Eye Injuries on a Construction Site?

According to the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights, more than 10,600 eye injuries that are serious enough to require an absence from work occur each year involving workers at construction sites. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that workers with some of the highest rates of work injuries include:

Because the eye is so delicate, even a small speck of dirt or a splinter can cause serious injury or even permanent vision loss. In fact, according to OSHA data, almost three-fifths of the objects that cause work-related eye injuries are smaller than the head of a pin.

Many different activities at a New York construction site create the potential for eye injuries. These construction-related eye injuries may occur as a result of physical damage when something gets in the eye, such as flying dust generated by grinding or sanding or metal shards from cutting or welding. Physical damage can also come from blunt force from a swinging or falling object or a puncture from a nail or screw.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, contact with equipment or an object was responsible for 70 percent of eye injuries, while exposure to harmful chemicals or fumes caused 26 percent of injuries. In particular:

Chemical damage to the eye is also a common cause of eye injuries on a New York construction site. Exposure to chemicals, gases or fumes such as from a fire or explosion can harm the eye in a matter of seconds.

To try to prevent injury, OSHA requires employees to wear approved and properly fitted eyewear. This eye protection should include goggles, not just face shields since goggles typically offer the best protection for the eye. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that as many as 40 percent of workers did not receive training on the proper type of eye protection required for completing various work tasks.

What You Need to Know About Eye Injuries

When an eye injury occurs, the consequences can range from minor to severe. Some possible types of construction injuries related to the eye include:

These and other eye injuries can cause significant pain, impair your vision or even make you unable to see. Significant medical costs may be incurred and, in some cases, you will be unable to work for a period of time or your career in construction may end.

How Can a New York Construction Accident Eye Injury Lawyer Help Me?

State and federal regulations protect New York construction workers from harm. When any violation of safety regulations occurs, third parties including construction site managers, general contractors, property owners, material suppliers, architects and engineers, could be held accountable for vision loss or other eye injuries you sustained.  These third parties may be held accountable and forced to pay compensation for all of your financial and other losses associated with the construction injuries.

If you’ve suffered an eye injury on a New York City construction site, call David Resnick & Associates today. Our New York eye injury lawyers can be reached at 212-279-2000 or you can use our online contact form for a free evaluation of your case.