NYC Construction Accidents Continue to Cause Serious and Fatal Injuries to Workers
Throughout much of 2017, construction safety advocates pushed for a bill that would strengthen construction work training requirements in order to prevent construction worker injuries and deaths. According to an article in The New York Times, in September of 2017, the City Council voted “unanimously to approve a bill requiring workers on most construction sites to undergo at least 40 hours of safety training.” The bill also promised $5 million in funding for certain construction workers who “otherwise might not be able to afford the training.” At the same time, in its final form, the bill “loosened the timeline for implementation, to allow workers to remain employed until December 2018 and possibly beyond if they completed at least 10 hours by March.”
Will this bill actually work to prevent construction worker injuries? According to a recent report in Real Estate Weekly, construction fatalities have continued to occur in New York City even after news of the City Council’s approval of the bill. Indeed, by December 20, 2017, nine construction workers had lost their lives as a result of safety issues on New York construction sites.
Construction Accident Statistics
How often do construction accidents and fatalities occur? What might workers be surprised to know about construction site injuries? A report from Industrial Safety & Hygiene News cites the following construction injury statistics:
- One out of every 10 construction workers sustain an injury every year;
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal construction accidents;
- Fall-protection violations are the most commonly violated OSHA requirement;
- Ironworkers sustain the highest rates of injury within the construction industry;
- Construction results in the second-highest number of workplace injuries for workers under the age of 18; and
- 60% of construction accident injuries happen during the first year of a worker’s time on the job.
If you were injured in a construction accident or have questions about filing a claim, contact a New York construction accident attorney to determine your rights.
