Workplace accidents can happen at any number of New York workplaces. Whether large or small, permanent or temporary, workers are never 100 percent safe. In a recent accident, workers were striping cabinets in a private residence when a fire occurred.
According to reports, the chemicals that they were using in the construction resulted in serious burns to the victims. However, it was not clear if the chemicals had started the fire in the first place. In total, two men taken to a local hospital with burns. Two other workers, who were in a different part of the house at the time of the workplace accident, were uninjured in the blaze.
The owner of the house — a former New York state Commission of Public Integrity chairman — was able to put out the fire and his wife called 911 shortly after it started. However, the fire restarted a short time later. Investigators say they need to speak with the injured workers before they can determine exactly how and why the fire spread.
Burn injuries and other workplace injuries can have a serious long term effect on workers. Depending on the severity of the burns, the workers could spend weeks or months in treatment. During this time, workers may be unable to work.
In these cases, workers’ compensation may be available to help pay for the expenses that workers incur as a result of the accident. These expenses can include lost wages, medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and others. This compensation ensures that workers are not financially harmed because of an accident at work. Workers may be entitled to this compensation under a variety of circumstances — including if they caused the accident. Therefore, all injured workers should make sure they understand if they qualify for benefits.
Source: The Journal News, “Larchmont fire: 2 workers burned at ex-state official’s home,” Greg Shillinglaw and Erik Shilling, March 20, 2014