The federal agency tasked with making sure companies keep their employees safe recently levied more than $150,000 in fines in two cases where New York construction accidents could have happened based on contractor negligence.

Our New York construction accident lawyers recognize that construction sites are fast-moving and employees work quickly based on tight deadlines that cannot be extended. However, rushed work can lead to injuries on the site for workers as well as passersby and others in the areamifphvq.jpg.

Given the type of equipment used on many construction sites, a wrong move or a negligent act can lead to major injuries or death. That's why construction teams must be diligent in doing professional work while avoiding major accidents.

In Queens recently, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration proposed more than $127,000 in fines against five contractors working at the old Aqueduct Racetrack as they attempt to turn it into a casino.

Four of the five contracts were cited for major workplace violations for allegedly providing inadequate safeguards to protect workers from airborne concentrations of lead. The fifth contractor was sited because it didn't provide fall protection and training to its employees to avoid a construction accident.

After OSHA inspectors went to the site, they allegedly found that employees were exposed to high levels of lead and absent were engineering controls designed to reduce exposure levels. Workers also weren't provided proper breathing apparatuses. The fifth contractor was sited because they allegedly allowed employees to work despite fall hazards.

In a separate case in New Jersey, OSHA fiend a company nearly $42,000 for allegedly not providing proper safety conditions at a bridge project. The company was cited for allegedly not providing safety measures to prevent fall hazards and a system to save workers from injuries on the job.

But workers aren't the only people who are at risk in construction sites. Passersby or workers from other companies that visit the site can also be put at risk if contractors don't follow proper safety protocols. That's why there are state and federal guidelines to control work sites and provide safe environments.

It doesn't take much -- not providing training, having the wrong set of protective gear or making one wrong move -- to cause major New York construction accidents.

The Manhattan injury lawyers at Antin, Ehrlich & Epstein can be reached toll free at 888-563-4213.