Long Island
Electrocution Injury Lawyer

Construction Electrocution Attorney

Electrocution Injury Lawyer on Long Island

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 50 fatal injuries in New York’s construction sector in 2024 (BLS, Fatal Work Injuries in New York State, 2024). Electrical contact is one of the hazards OSHA and New York’s Industrial Code regulate most closely, because a single contact with a live line can kill.

On Long Island, where aging infrastructure intersects with rapid residential and commercial development, construction electrocution hazards are particularly acute. Workers encounter overhead power lines near building sites, outdated electrical systems in renovation projects, exposed wiring in partially demolished structures, and temporary power setups that fail to meet basic safety standards. When these hazards are not properly addressed, the results are catastrophic: severe burns, cardiac arrest, permanent nerve damage, traumatic brain injury from oxygen deprivation, and death.

At the Law Office of Jason Tenenbaum, P.C., we represent construction workers and their families who have suffered electrocution injuries on Long Island job sites. New York Labor Law §241(6) enforces the Industrial Code’s electrical-hazards rule, 12 NYCRR 23-1.13, against owners and contractors. Jason Tenenbaum has spent 24 years holding property owners, general contractors, electrical subcontractors, and utility companies accountable for preventable electrocution injuries across Nassau County and Suffolk County.

Suffered an electrocution injury on a construction site? Call (516) 750-0595 for a free consultation with an experienced construction accident attorney.

What Are the Most Common Types of Construction Electrocution Accidents?

Construction electrocution accidents take many forms, and each involves different liable parties and legal theories. The most common types we handle on Long Island include:

• Contact with overhead power lines — cranes, scaffolds, ladders, metal pipes, and other conductive materials contact energized overhead lines. High-voltage line contact is often fatal. On Long Island, dense residential neighborhoods mean overhead power lines are frequently within reach of construction equipment, particularly on renovation and addition projects where clearance distances are minimal.
• Exposed wiring — renovation and demolition work on older buildings exposes workers to live wires hidden behind walls, in ceilings, and in basements. Failure to de-energize circuits before cutting into walls or removing fixtures causes electrocutions in remodeling projects, including in Nassau County’s older housing stock.
• Defective power tools and equipment — power drills, saws, grinders, and other tools with damaged insulation, frayed cords, or missing ground prongs can electrocute the operator. Under product liability law, the manufacturer may be strictly liable when a design or manufacturing defect causes an electrical injury.
• Wet conditions combined with electrical equipment — water and electricity are a lethal combination. Rain, standing water in excavations, and wet concrete create conditions where even low-voltage equipment can deliver fatal shocks. OSHA requires ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on all construction site receptacles specifically to address this hazard.
• Arc flash and arc blast — an arc flash occurs when an electrical current jumps from one conductor to another through the air, producing intense heat and light. The resulting arc blast creates a pressure wave that can knock workers down. Arc flash injuries produce severe burns, blindness, and hearing loss even without direct electrical contact.
• Incomplete lockout/tagout procedures — lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the process of de-energizing and securing electrical systems before maintenance or construction work. When this procedure is skipped, incomplete, or improperly executed, workers contact circuits they reasonably believe are de-energized. These are entirely preventable incidents caused by the failure of supervisory personnel to enforce safety protocols.

If you were injured in any of these types of electrocution accidents, call (516) 750-0595 for a free case review.

How Does New York Labor Law Apply to Electrocution Injuries?

Three Labor Law sections may apply depending on the circumstances of the accident, and each has different proof requirements.

Labor Law §241(6) and Industrial Code §23-1.13

Section 241(6) imposes a non-delegable duty on property owners and general contractors to comply with the specific safety regulations in the New York Industrial Code. For electrocution cases, Industrial Code §23-1.13 is the primary regulatory provision. It treats power lines near a site as energized until the line owner says otherwise, requires that a circuit a worker may contact be de-energized and grounded or guarded by insulation, and sets rules for temporary wiring. The duty is nondelegable, so the owner answers for a contractor’s violation. But the violation must be of a specific rule like these, not a general safety standard (Ross v Curtis-Palmer Hydro-Elec. Co., 81 NY2d 494 [1993]), it is evidence for the jury rather than automatic liability, and the award can be reduced for the worker’s own fault (CPLR 1411(a)). The 2026 tort reform’s fault bar applies only to motor-vehicle claims. Section 23-1.13 does not apply to operations of companies subject to the Public Service Commission’s jurisdiction.

Labor Law §240 — When Electrocution Causes a Fall

Labor Law §240, the Scaffold Law, imposes absolute liability on property owners and general contractors for gravity-related injuries. While electrocution is not itself a gravity-related hazard, if an electric shock causes a worker to fall from a scaffold, ladder, roof, or other elevated surface, §240 applies to the fall. This is a critical distinction: the electrocution triggers the fall, and the fall is the gravity-related event that invokes absolute liability. In these cases, the property owner and general contractor are absolutely liable for the fall injuries, with sole proximate cause as their only defense.

Labor Law §200 — General Negligence

Section 200 codifies the common-law duty of property owners and general contractors to provide a reasonably safe workplace. For electrocution cases, this means the owner or GC may be liable if they had actual or constructive notice of a dangerous electrical condition — such as exposed wiring, a lack of GFCIs, or proximity to energized power lines — and failed to correct it. While §200 requires proof of notice and control (unlike the absolute liability of §240(1) and the nondelegable duty of §241(6)), it provides an additional basis for recovery against parties who knew about the electrical hazard and did nothing.

Need help understanding which Labor Law sections apply to your electrocution case? Call (516) 750-0595 for a free legal assessment.

Who Is Liable for a Construction Electrocution on Long Island?

Construction electrocution cases frequently involve multiple liable parties. Under New York law, each of the following may bear responsibility depending on the circumstances:

• Property owner — under Labor Law §§240 and 241(6), the property owner has a non-delegable duty to ensure the construction site is safe. This duty cannot be transferred to a contractor or subcontractor. Even a property owner who never visits the site answers under §241(6) for a contractor’s violation of a specific Industrial Code rule, and under §240(1) for a fall from height. Owners of one- and two-family dwellings who contract for but do not direct or control the work are exempt from both.
• General contractor — the GC bears the same non-delegable duties as the property owner and is typically responsible for coordinating site safety, including electrical hazard management, among all subcontractors.
• Electrical subcontractor — the sub responsible for electrical work may be liable under common-law negligence and Labor Law §200 if their work created the hazardous condition or if they failed to de-energize circuits, install proper grounding, or follow lockout/tagout procedures.
• Utility company (PSEG Long Island / National Grid) — when overhead power lines or underground utility feeds are involved, the utility company may be liable for failing to de-energize or relocate lines, failing to respond to coordination requests from the contractor, or maintaining lines that did not meet clearance distance requirements.
• Equipment manufacturer — if a defective power tool, extension cord, electrical panel, or other piece of equipment caused the electrocution, the manufacturer faces strict product liability claims for design defects, manufacturing defects, or failure to warn.

We investigate every potentially liable party from the first day we take your case. In construction electrocution cases, the chain of responsibility can extend from the property owner who commissioned the project to the utility company that failed to de-energize a line to the manufacturer that sold a defective tool. Identifying all defendants maximizes the total insurance coverage available to compensate your injuries.

Not sure who is responsible for your electrocution injury? Call (516) 750-0595 — we identify every liable party.

What Injuries Can Electrocution Cause on a Construction Site?

Electrical injuries are among the most devastating of any construction accident type. The current passing through the body damages tissue, organs, and the nervous system in ways that produce both immediate trauma and long-term complications.

• Cardiac arrest and arrhythmia — electrical current disrupts the heart’s electrical system, causing ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and potentially fatal arrhythmias. Even survivors of initial cardiac arrest may suffer long-term heart damage requiring ongoing cardiac monitoring and treatment.
• Severe burns (entry and exit wounds) — electrical current enters and exits the body, creating deep burns at both contact points. These are not surface burns — the current burns tissue along its entire internal pathway, destroying muscle, blood vessels, and nerves beneath intact skin. Treatment often requires extensive debridement, skin grafts, and reconstructive surgery. Permanent scarring and disfigurement are common.
• Nerve damage and neuropathy — electrical current damages peripheral nerves, producing chronic pain, numbness, tingling, and loss of motor function. Nerve damage from electrocution is frequently permanent and progressive, worsening over months and years after the initial injury.
• Traumatic brain injury from anoxia — when electrocution causes cardiac arrest, the brain is deprived of oxygen. Even minutes of oxygen deprivation can cause permanent cognitive impairment, memory loss, personality changes, and loss of executive function. Anoxic brain injury is one of the most devastating consequences of construction electrocution.
• Amputation — severe electrical burns may destroy enough tissue to require surgical amputation of affected limbs. The deep tissue destruction caused by electrical current often makes limb salvage impossible, resulting in permanent catastrophic disability.
• Death — high-voltage contact, particularly with overhead power lines, is frequently fatal at the scene. Families of workers killed by construction electrocution have wrongful death claims under Labor Law §§240 and 241(6) against the property owner and general contractor.

Dealing with a serious electrocution injury? Call (516) 750-0595 to discuss your case with an attorney who understands the full scope of electrical injury damages.

OSHA Electrical Safety Standards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets federal electrical safety standards for construction sites under 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K. Violations of these standards are evidence of negligence, but a §241(6) claim against an owner or general contractor that did not supervise the work must rest on an Industrial Code rule such as 23-1.13, not on the OSHA rule itself (Rizzuto).

• Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) — OSHA requires GFCIs on all 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets on construction sites. GFCIs detect ground faults and cut power in milliseconds, preventing electrocution. Failure to install or maintain GFCIs is one of the most common and most preventable causes of construction electrocution.
• Lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures — before any work on electrical systems, circuits must be de-energized, locked out, and tagged to prevent accidental re-energization. In construction, OSHA requires that controls to be deactivated during work on equipment or circuits be tagged, and that de-energized equipment and circuits be rendered inoperative and tagged (29 CFR 1926.417).
• Clearance distances from power lines — OSHA requires equipment near overhead power lines rated 50 kV or below to keep at least 10 feet of clearance, with increasing distances for higher voltages (29 CFR 1926.600(a)(6)), and cranes have their own power-line rules (29 CFR 1926.1408). Crane operators, scaffold erectors, and workers handling conductive materials near power lines must maintain these clearances at all times.
• Equipment grounding and insulation — all electrical equipment on construction sites must be properly grounded or double-insulated. Frayed cords, missing ground prongs, and damaged insulation must be removed from service immediately.
• Temporary wiring standards — construction sites rely heavily on temporary electrical installations. OSHA requires that temporary wiring meet specific installation standards, including proper support, protection from physical damage, and GFCI protection.

We obtain OSHA inspection records, citation histories, and investigation reports for every construction electrocution case we handle. These records establish whether the property owner or general contractor had a history of electrical safety violations, which strengthens both liability and damages arguments.

Dangerous Electrical Hazards on Long Island Construction Sites

Long Island’s construction landscape creates electrical hazards that are distinct from other regions. Several factors make electrocution risk particularly high on local job sites:

Aging Infrastructure in Older Nassau County Buildings

Many of Nassau County’s residential and commercial buildings are decades old, with electrical systems that predate current codes. Renovation work on these structures can expose workers to old wiring, ungrounded circuits, and deteriorating insulation. Contractors who fail to de-energize these systems before beginning demolition or renovation work expose their crews to serious electrocution risk.

Overhead Power Lines Near Construction

Long Island’s dense suburban development means overhead power lines are frequently in close proximity to construction work — sometimes within feet of scaffolding, crane booms, and rooftop work areas. Overhead distribution lines run along many streets in Nassau and Suffolk County. Workers erecting scaffolding, operating cranes, or handling long metal pipes and ladders near these lines face constant electrocution risk if proper clearance distances are not maintained.

PSEG Long Island Coordination Requirements

When construction work must occur near PSEG Long Island power lines, the contractor is responsible for coordinating with the utility to de-energize, relocate, or shield the lines. The Industrial Code treats those lines as energized until the line owner’s qualified representative says otherwise (12 NYCRR 23-1.13(b)(1)). When a request is never made, a response comes too late, or temporary protection is inadequate, both the contractor and the utility may bear liability depending on who knew what and when.

Electrocuted near a power line or by aging wiring on a Long Island job site? Call (516) 750-0595 — we investigate every hazard source.

What Compensation Can I Get for an Electrocution Injury on Long Island?

Construction electrocution cases typically involve severe injuries that produce significant damages. Recoverable compensation includes:

• Medical expenses — emergency trauma care, burn unit treatment, cardiac monitoring, surgery (including skin grafts and reconstructive procedures), rehabilitation, prosthetics, and projected future medical treatment
• Lost wages and earning capacity — income lost during recovery and long-term reduction in earning ability if electrocution injuries prevent returning to construction work or any physically demanding occupation
• Pain and suffering — chronic pain from nerve damage, the physical agony of severe burns, and the psychological trauma of electrocution
• Enhanced damages for burns and disfigurement — electrocution burns produce entry and exit wounds, deep tissue destruction, and permanent scarring that cause significant disfigurement. New York juries award substantial compensation for visible scarring and disfigurement, particularly when it affects the face, hands, and other exposed areas
• Permanent disability — amputation, brain damage from anoxia, cardiac damage, and chronic neuropathy may constitute permanent total or partial disability, entitling the victim to lifetime compensation for lost earning capacity and diminished quality of life
• Wrongful death damages — when electrocution is fatal, the worker’s family may recover funeral expenses, lost financial support, loss of parental guidance, and the worker’s conscious pain and suffering before death. New York does not yet allow damages for grief or loss of companionship; the Grieving Families Act that would add them has been vetoed and is pending again. See our wrongful death page.

New York has no general cap on non-economic damages in construction injury cases; the 2026 cap in Insurance Law §5104(d) applies only to certain drivers in motor-vehicle cases. Because electrocution injuries are severe and frequently permanent, damages are often substantial. Use our settlement calculator for an initial estimate of your electrocution injury case value.

To discuss the full value of your electrocution injury claim, call (516) 750-0595 for a free, no-obligation assessment.

Why Hire Jason Tenenbaum for Your Electrocution Case

Jason has handled construction accident and Labor Law cases on Long Island since 2002, including electrocution cases involving power line contact, defective equipment, exposed wiring, and arc flash injuries. He understands the technical aspects of electrical injury cases — voltage levels, current pathways, GFCI requirements, clearance distances, and lockout/tagout protocols — and knows how to translate that technical knowledge into compelling legal arguments.

Electrocution cases are complex because they involve multiple potentially liable parties (property owners, general contractors, electrical subcontractors, utilities, and manufacturers), overlapping regulatory frameworks (Labor Law, OSHA, Industrial Code, and utility regulations), and injuries that are often internal and not immediately apparent. Jason works with electrical engineers, accident reconstructionists, and medical specialists to build cases that capture the full scope of liability and damages.

Jason handles every case personally from first consultation through trial or settlement. He writes his own briefs, takes his own depositions, and argues his own motions. Consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

Related practice areas: Construction Accidents • Scaffold Accidents • Crane Accidents • Falling Object Injuries • Trench Collapse • Personal Injury • Brain Injuries • Back Injuries • Catastrophic Injury • Wrongful Death • Pain & Suffering • Settlement Calculator