NYC Equipment Operator Injury Lawyers
Operating heavy equipment is a highly-skilled job that can lead to extremely serious accidents – especially when important safety protocols aren’t adhered to strictly. If you’ve been injured in the course of your work as an equipment operator, you need the professional legal counsel of an experienced construction accident attorney on your side.
Accident Involving Equipment
Equipment operator injuries typically happen on the job, and they are most common to the construction industry. Workers’ compensation law precludes you from suing your employer or coworker directly – in such instances, you are required to negotiate your case through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. If, on the other hand, a third-party either played a role in or directly caused your equipment operator accident, you can file a claim against this at-fault party. If, for example, the heavy equipment that left you injured was faultily designed and/or produced, the manufacturer could be found liable. Whatever your situation, however, working closely with an experienced construction accident attorney is in the best interest of your case.
Staying Safe when Working with Heavy Equipment
As a heavy equipment operator, your employer owes you a reasonably safe working environment, and as such, should ensure that all of the following apply to your work experience:
- Proper Training – If everyone who operates heavy equipment on your worksite doesn’t have the appropriate training and experience, it renders the work site more dangerous for everyone on the job.
- Appropriate Safety Gear – Your employer should supply you with all the safety gear appropriate to your specific work. Additionally, your employer is responsible for ensuring that you know how to utilize the gear correctly and for requiring all employees to don their safety gear at all times (as applicable).
- Safety Plan – Even the safest equipment operators are sometimes faced with faulty or otherwise dangerous equipment, and your employer should have a safety plan in place for such instances. If equipment begins operating in an unreliable or inconsistent manner, a safety protocol should guide your actions, including alerting your supervisor and/or employer.
- Clear Communication – Clear communication throughout the worksite is key to keeping the entire operation as safe as possible. Everyone needs to know where others are working and on what equipment and needs to be made aware when movement is in process. Hand signals, two-way radios, and other communication systems can all help keep everyone on the site alert to the whereabouts and movement of heavy equipment.
- Blind Spot Mitigation – When the equipment workers operate is large, it can have significant blind spots all the way around the machines. Implementing increased precautions and technology – such as mirrors and other detection equipment – to mitigate the danger associated with these blind spots is essential.
An Experienced NYC Construction Accident Attorney Can Help
If you’ve been injured in your job as an equipment operator, the formidable construction accident attorneys at Lipsig, Shapey, Manus & Moverman have the skill, commitment, and experience to aggressively advocate for your case’s optimal resolution. Our dedicated legal team has decades of experience, so please don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 212-285-3300 for more information today.