Feds: Construction Deaths Slowed in New York

Despite a string of high-profile construction site deaths – punctuated earlier this year by the collapses of tower cranes in two separate incidents – a new federal reports says construction deaths fell by nearly half in New York City last year after spiking the year before.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures came amid heightened concern about construction safety after the spate of deadly accidents. Roughly 20 construction workers have died in accidents citywide this year, approaching last year’s total of 24. Most of them killed in falls.

The 2007 total shrank from a high of 43 in 2006, the city construction industry’s deadliest year in at least a decade. The 2006 toll was up 87 percent from the previous year, and it came as construction deaths rose just 3 percent nationally.

This year’s deadly accidents included the two crane collapses that killed nine people, one of them a passing tourist. The rest were construction workers. Recently, a worker fell about 40 stories to his death at a Manhattan skyscraper being built by the developer of the World Trade Center.

Overall, 81 workers in various industries died from on-the-job injuries in the city last year, the fewest work-related deaths since record keeping began 16 years ago, according to the statistics bureau. The overall total fell 18 percent, down from 99 deaths in 2006. Nationally, the number is also down, from 5,840 to 5,488.

Still, the federal government says fall hazards are the biggest safety problem at New York City construction sites. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued $247,400 in fines after inspecting 46 sites last June and July. The inspectors cited 60 contractors with 129 violations. Nearly a third of the violations involved fall hazards. The contractors were also cited for electrical safety, problems with scaffolds, cranes and improper welding.