Roof and façade work requires workers to perform their jobs at significant heights, whether they are installing roofing materials, repairing building exteriors, restoring façades, or cleaning high-rise windows.
Without following appropriate safety measures mandated by New York law, these tasks can result in serious falls and other life-changing injuries. When these protections are not provided, injured workers have the right to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Common Façade and Roof Worker Injuries in NYC
Roof and façade accidents rarely result in minor injuries. Whether a construction worker falls several stories from a rooftop or is struck by materials while performing exterior restoration, the consequences are often catastrophic and affect nearly every aspect of daily life.
Common injuries resulting from roof and façade accidents include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Crush injuries
- Internal injuries and internal bleeding
- Severe lacerations
- Amputations
- Fatal injuries
While no two accidents are exactly alike, falls from elevations account for many of the most serious roof and façade injuries. The circumstances surrounding those falls often determine both the injuries a worker suffers and the safety measures that should have been in place.
How Do Roof and Façade Workers Get Hurt on the Jobsite?
Roof repairs and façade restoration take place on rooftops, along building exteriors, and from elevated platforms where fall hazards are difficult to eliminate completely. Appropriate safety measures are essential to reducing the risk of serious accidents.
Falls From Roof Edges
Roofers must work near unprotected roof edges while installing materials, repairing flashing, or transporting equipment. Without guardrails, personal fall arrest systems, or other safeguards, even a routine task can result in a devastating fall.
Falls Through Skylights and Roof Openings
Not every fall occurs over the edge of a roof. Laborers also fall through skylights, roof hatches, temporary openings, and other unprotected holes created during construction or repair work. These hazards should be identified before work begins and protected with properly secured covers, guardrails, or other fall protection.
Swing Stage and Suspended Scaffold Accidents
Swing stages and suspended scaffolds allow people to access the exterior of high-rise buildings for construction, maintenance, and restoration work. If secure rigging, independent lifelines, and personal fall protection are missing, workers face a significant risk of serious falls.
Façade Restoration Accidents in NYC
Façade restoration work involves repairing brickwork, replacing masonry, installing waterproofing materials, and performing pointing work while working at elevations. Façade workers commonly rely on scaffolds, suspended platforms, ladders, and other access equipment, making proper fall protection essential throughout the project.
Falls When Cleaning Windows
Commercial window cleaners routinely work from suspended equipment designed to provide access to a building’s exterior. Many high-rise window cleaner injuries in NY occur when required fall protection or other safety measures are missing or fail.
Window cleaners often spend hours suspended high above the ground, making properly maintained equipment, independent lifelines, and personal fall protection essential. When those safeguards are missing or inadequate, even routine maintenance work can result in catastrophic falls.
New York Laws Help Roof and Façade Workers
Several New York labor laws apply to roof and façade work performed on construction sites. Together, these laws establish safety requirements for elevated work and provide important legal protections for laborers injured in preventable accidents.
Protection Against Elevation-Related Hazards
Roofing, façade restoration, and window cleaning all have one thing in common: employees cannot eliminate the risk of falling on their own. Labor Law 240(1), often called the Scaffold Law, requires contractors and building owners to provide workers with the safety equipment needed for many projects performed at elevated heights. When they fail to do so, those injured in falls or by falling objects have the right to bring a claim under the law.
Labor Law 240(1) holds contractors and certain building owners absolutely liable. That means they cannot avoid responsibility by arguing that the injured worker should have been more careful if the accident was caused by a failure to provide proper protection.
Construction Site Safety Beyond Fall Protection
Not every roof or façade accident is caused by a lack of fall protection.
Labor Law 241(6) requires contractors and certain building owners to comply with specific construction safety regulations governing the manner in which work is performed. If an accident occurs because one of those safety rules was violated, an injured worker may have a claim. Labor Law 200 addresses a different type of safety issue. Rather than focusing on violations of specific construction regulations, it requires construction sites to be maintained in a reasonably safe condition.
Additional Legal Protections for Commercial Window Cleaners
Commercial window cleaners also have additional legal protections under New York Labor Law 202.
This law requires qualifying buildings to provide safe means for cleaning windows and exterior building surfaces. If protections are not provided and a worker is injured, Labor Law 202 provides a basis for pursuing a claim against the responsible parties.
Construction accidents don’t always fit neatly under a single law. A worker injured in one accident may be covered by multiple New York labor laws, depending on the accident and its cause.
Roof and Façade Accident Case Results
At Oresky & Associates, PLLC, we believe every injured construction professional deserves to be heard, treated with dignity, and given the opportunity to rebuild after a serious accident. For decades, we have helped injured people throughout New York pursue accountability and the compensation they need after preventable construction accidents. Here are just a few examples.
Two construction workers were injured when a ladder-jack scaffold collapsed during a façade renovation project. The scaffold had not been properly secured, and the workers were not provided with the fall protection necessary for the job. Oresky & Associates, PLLC, pursued claims under Labor Law 240(1), resulting in a $23 million verdict.
In another case, a construction worker fell through a skylight during a high-rise project in Manhattan after removing protective plywood covering the opening. The worker suffered serious injuries requiring multiple surgeries. Our team secured a $1.5 million settlement to support the man’s recovery.
These examples represent only a small portion of the construction accident cases handled by Oresky & Associates, PLLC. Our commitment remains the same: standing beside injured workers and supporting them in their fight for compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Labor Law 240 Cover Residential Roofing Work?
It often does, but New York law includes an important exception for many owners of one- and two-family homes. If a homeowner hires someone to perform roofing work on a private residence and does not direct or control how that work is performed, the homeowner may be exempt from liability under Labor Law 240(1).
The homeowner exception does not apply to every residential roofing project. Apartment buildings, condominiums, and many other residential properties are treated differently under New York law.
Can Union Roofers and Façade Workers Bring Labor Law Claims?
Union membership does not prevent you from bringing a claim under New York’s labor laws. In fact, union records help document important parts of your losses. Our attorneys can work with union representatives or benefit administrators to obtain documentation needed to fully evaluate a laborer’s losses after a roof or façade accident.
Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation and File a Third-Party Lawsuit?
Yes. Injured parties often receive workers’ compensation benefits through their employer while also pursuing a third-party personal injury claim against another party whose negligence contributed to the accident.
Unlike workers’ compensation, a third-party claim allows you to recover damages such as past and future pain and suffering, the full extent of your lost income, medical expenses, and other losses related to your injuries.
Who May Be Liable for a Roof or Façade Work Accident?
Construction projects typically involve multiple companies. Depending on the circumstances, contractors, subcontractors, certain building owners, or their agents may be responsible for unsafe conditions that contributed to an accident.
A Roofing Accident Lawyer in NY Can Help You Fight for Compensation
If you were injured while performing roof work, façade restoration, window cleaning, or other elevated construction work, call Oresky & Associates, PLLC, at (929) 209-4492 to discuss your legal options. We can help to protect your legal rights and pursue the compensation you deserve. We are proud to serve workers throughout New York City, including The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island.