NYC Work-Related Burn Injury Lawyer

Workplaces throughout New York City have potential hazards that may cause hardworking individuals to suffer a burn injury. Severe burn injuries can leave workers with extensive medical bills and temporary or permanent disabilities that prevent them from returning to their job or enjoying their everyday life.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury at work in NYC, get the legal help you need to pursue money for your medical treatment and recovery. Contact The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., for a free initial claim evaluation to discuss your legal options for compensation with our burn injuries at work lawyers.

Causes of Work-Related Burn Injuries

Workplaces in NYC have various hazards that result in burn injuries, including the presence of caustic or flammable chemicals or exposed wiring. Some of the most common causes of workers’ burn injuries in NYC fall into categories such as:

• Chemical burns – Chemical burns occur when the skin contacts acidic or caustic substances, causing a chemical reaction that damages or destroys skin tissues. These kinds of burns may occur at worksites with dangerous chemicals on site, especially when the substances aren’t stored safely.
• Electrical burns – An electrical burn can occur when someone touches an exposed live electrical wire or power line. Electrocutions can also happen if a person stands in water or on a wet surface that contacts a live wire. The voltage from a live electrical wire or power line can cause burns on the skin’s surface and tissues inside the body.
• Thermal burns – A thermal burn is any burn injury caused by exposure to high heat, such as a fire or explosion, or by touching a hot surface. Thermal burns may occur on worksites due to improper storage of flammable materials that lead to a fire or explosion or when hot surfaces are exposed where a person can touch them accidentally.

Types of Work-Related Burn Injuries

Doctors categorize burn injuries into three degrees based on the severity of the injury, with first-degree burns the least severe type of injury and third-degree burns the most severe.

• First-degree burns – First-degree burns only affect the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). These burns may cause redness, tenderness, pain, and mild swelling. Treatment typically involves cold compresses to reduce pain and swelling, over-the-counter pain relievers to help relieve discomfort from the burn, and ointments to keep the burned skin moist and promote healing.
• Second-degree burns – Second-degree burns damage both the epidermis and the dermis (the second layer of skin), causing swelling and discoloration of the skin in red, white, or splotchy, multicolored patches. These burns may also cause blistering and severe pain. Deeper burns often leave scars when the skin heals.
• Third-degree burns – Third-degree burns reach the fat layer beneath the skin or underlying soft tissues and bone, leaving brown, black, or white-colored skin or charred-away skin tissues. These burns can also destroy nerves, causing numbness. Third-degree burns have a high risk of secondary infections, and treatment usually involves skin grafts, debridement, and intensive wound care.

Treatment of Work-Related Burn Injuries

Depending on the severity of a work-related burn injury, a victim may require various treatments, such as:

• First aid – Treatment of burn injuries of all severities begins with first aid to protect the damaged areas of skin from possible infection and to stop bleeding or fluid loss. Less severe burn injuries usually require ongoing at-home care, including changing bandaging and reapplying burn creams and ointments.
• Medical treatment – More severe burn injuries may require medical treatment from a doctor or at the hospital or wound care center. Treatment may include reapplying specialized wound dressings, IVs to prevent dehydration, medical procedures to remove dead tissue, wound care therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and medications to relieve pain or treat infections. Some patients may undergo plastic surgery to improve the appearance of scars and restore flexibility to joints covered in scar tissue.
• Skin grafts – Severe second-degree burns and third-degree burns will often require skin grafts. This surgical procedure involves taking healthy skin from elsewhere on the body or from a donor to replace tissues destroyed by a burn injury.
• Rehabilitation – Burn injury victims may attend physical or occupational therapy sessions to help maintain flexibility in body parts covered in scar tissue, which can contract and make it harder for the skin to stretch.

Impact of Work-Related Burn Injuries

Work-related burn injuries can leave hardworking individuals with long-lasting consequences for their physical and emotional health, including:

• Physical and emotional pain from the initial burn injury and subsequent medical treatment like wound cleanings or skin graft surgeries
• Lost wages and future earning capacity due to temporary or permanent disability from work
• Disability and disfigurement, which can impact enjoyment and quality of life

Seeking Compensation for Work-Related Burn Injuries in NYC

In NYC, the state’s Labor Law provides victims of work-related burn injuries various legal options for seeking financial compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering:

• Labor Law §200 – Gives most workers on worksites the right to bring claims for injuries caused by dangerous property conditions or accidents arising from the means, method, or manner of work. Injury victims must prove that a property owner’s or contractor’s negligence caused the accident.
• Labor Law §241(6) – Requires employers to provide workers with reasonable and adequate protections on job sites based on the state’s industrial code and safety regulations. Protections may include safety equipment to prevent chemical burns or electrocutions, proper storage of caustic or flammable materials, or equipment guards to prevent contact burns.

In some situations, a workplace burn injury victim may have a personal injury claim against another non-employer third party whose negligence contributed to the accident.

In a work-related burn injury claim, you may have the right to recover compensation for your:

• Medical and rehabilitation expenses
• Costs of long-term care and personal support for permanent disabilities
• Ongoing and future losses of wages, earning potential, and job benefits
• Pain and suffering

Workers’ compensation can also provide certain benefits for employees who suffer burns in the course of their work. Workers’ compensation benefits provide coverage of related medical expenses and partial replacement of lost wages, among other benefits.

Prevention of Work-Related Burn Injuries

Contractors, worksite owners, and workers can help reduce the risk of work-related burn injuries by focusing on the following safety items:

• Proper training and safety equipment – Employers should ensure that their workers have appropriate safety training to reduce the chances of a burn accident, along with protective gear that can prevent or reduce the severity of burn injuries in an accident.
• Safe work environment – Site owners and contractors should ensure the worksite’s safety by repairing or removing potential burn hazards, such as exposed electrical wires, and properly storing caustic or flammable materials.
• Compliance with safety regulations – Construction companies must enforce local, state, and federal safety regulations and industry best practices for preventing workplace burn injuries.
• Reporting and addressing hazards – Workers should feel empowered to report safety hazards on site, and employers should promptly address all worker concerns.

Choosing the Right Work-Related Burn Injury Lawyer

When you’ve sustained burn injuries at work, you need the right lawyer to help you seek maximum financial compensation for your medical expenses and lost income. For decades, NYC workplace burn injury victims have chosen The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., because:

• We have a proven record of success in catastrophic injury cases, having recovered over half a billion dollars for clients.
• We have over 40 years of legal experience, including representing clients in cases that have reshaped the law for injury victims.
• We have a team of experienced litigators backed by substantial firm resources and a deep roster of expert witnesses.
• We’ve developed a reputation among our legal peers, leading many of our fellow attorneys to refer their most challenging cases to us.
• We make every client our top priority. Our full-service law firm will handle every detail of your case so you can focus on healing.

Contact Our NYC Workplace Burn Injury Lawyers Today

After sustaining burn injuries at work, turn to the NYC workplace burn injury lawyers at The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., to learn more about your rights to pursue burn injury at work claims.

Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to see how our firm can stand by you throughout the claims. Let us get to work for you to demand the compensation you need for your injuries and losses.