More people die working in construction than any other industry in New York state. With all the dangerous equipment and the immense height of some worksites, shouldn’t protecting workers like you bet the number on focus? Safety groups are worried that standards are too low and need to improve.
Construction remains the deadliest job in NYC
A report from an advocacy group for New York workers shows an increase in New York construction deaths every year. The majority of worker deaths are due to:
- Falls
- Electrocution
- Being struck by an object
- Getting caught in machinery
Of those four causes, falls make up almost half the fatalities of New York workers. Preventable deaths like these mostly occur when there is no union to keep tabs on the safety situation. Over 90 percent of the people who die on private worksites aren’t in a union.
Why is the number of deaths increasing?
One of the main reasons for the increase in fatalities is that the government is not fully enforcing safety regulations. OSHA performs fewer inspections every year, and over 80 percent of the worksites they do inspect have some sort of safety violation.
The report gives recommendations to increase the safety of construction workers. The main points are that New York government agencies should:
- Give better training to workers
- Fund more training programs
- Improve safety requirement laws
- Punish unsafe worksites more harshly
You face risks every day that you go to work on a construction site. Heights and machinery can lead to serious injuries or even death if the ones in charge don’t keep your worksite safe. If your work causes you injury, you have a right to hold your employer liable for the damages.
