How Common are Construction Site Accidents in NYC?
New York City has always been a place of opportunity and with the recent construction boom, there have been plenty of construction jobs in the city. However, NYC can be a very dangerous place to work construction because of congestion and other factors.
2018 was the most dangerous year for construction workers in NYC since the beginning of the recession in 2008. The trend has continued upward for years, and the number of fatalities or injuries reported on NYC construction sites witnessed a major jump from 2013 to 2014.
How common are construction site accidents in NYC? We’ll study all the statistics that indicate construction accidents and injuries in NYC are becoming more and more of a problem.
Dangers of NYC Construction Sites
According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction workers make up only 5% of the total workforce in New York City, yet account for 27% of all job-related deaths.
Though those construction accident statistics are alarming, it is not unreasonable to explain why construction work is dangerous. Construction workers frequently have to deal with extreme heights in NYC, as well as operating heavy and powerful equipment.
Construction workers are currently in high demand in NYC thanks to the recent construction boom. Therefore, knowing your rights to personal injury compensation and finding the right New York construction accident lawyer in the event of an injury or death is important.
Types of Construction-Related Injuries
New York City has some of the most horrific construction related injury claims in the United States. In 2018, construction worker injuries were reported from serious falls from heights to live wire electrocutions to hardhats dropping from skyscrapers and injuring construction workers below.
According to the New York City Health Department Bureau of Vital Statistics, the most common types of construction accident deaths in NYC are:
● Falls = 58%
● Crushed, stuck, or caught between objects or equipment = 32%
● Falls from scaffolds = 25%
● Falls from ladders = 16%
● Falls from roofs = 11%
Less common types of work-related injuries on NYC construction sites are automobile accidents, electrocutions, and assaults.
Construction Accident Statistics in NYC
There is no question that construction accidents in NYC have been on the rise over the last several years. Construction was the deadliest work industry in New York City at the beginning of 2019.
Here are some of the most eye-popping statistics:
● New York City has a lower worker fatality rate than the national average. However, the construction industry fatality rate in NYC is much higher than the national average.
● From 1994 to 2014, NYC had a 20-year decline in its construction worker fatality rate. Regardless, during that same 20-year timeframe, New York City had a death rate in construction that was five times higher than the death rate across all other industries.
● NYC averages more than 20 construction-related deaths each year.
● Only two months into 2019, NYC already had close to one hundred construction-related injuries. However, early numbers were a little down from construction injuries from the year prior (2018).
Though it appears that construction companies are starting to take work safety seriously after an especially high incidence of injury in 2018, there is still work to be done in the city.
Added Risks of Working Construction in NYC
Even though there are plenty of jobs in New York City, it isn’t shocking that construction-related injuries are higher in the big city compared to other places in the United States. There are factors that contribute to NYC being especially dangerous for construction work:
● The scale of New York City construction projects. The most obvious factor is the heights at which construction projects occur. Construction workers are often working on skyscrapers that are being put together with massive crews at a fast pace.
● The recent NYC construction boom has led to high demand for skilled workers. Since there is a shortage of skilled workers, often people with less experience or not the right kind of training are delegated to dangerous positions they are unfamiliar with handling.
● NYC construction workers will attest to the frustration with having short-term work that frequently has you change location or work in new settings. With all the unfamiliarity, it is not surprising that more people are prone to get injured.
Safety Violations and Negligence
The majority of work-related accidents and injuries on construction sites in NYC are preventable. Sadly, there are several work-related injuries that happened because of safety violations or negligence.
In fact, the NYC Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics concluded that at least one serious safety violation was cited in 90% of OSHA investigations that looked into fatal construction accidents in the city.
The most common citations dished out to NYC construction sites are:
● Failure to provide training requirements.
● Failure to provide standard fall protection.
● Ignoring scaffold safety standards.
● Avoiding stairway safety standards.
● Ignoring ladder safety standards.
Tragically, 13% of OSHA investigations also concluded that employers knowingly failed to correct a hazardous condition such as knowingly using faulty or damaged equipment or intentionally disabling safety features on dangerous equipment.
Injured on an NYC Construction Site? Greenberg & Stein is Here for You
Construction companies need to operate according to OSHA rules and adhere to all safety guidelines. There are many construction-related accidents that happen each year that are preventable.
Were you injured on a construction site? Are you looking to receive worker’s compensation for your injuries? Consult a New York construction accident lawyer at Greenberg & Stein to get professional representation.
Visit Greenberg & Stein at www,greenbergandstein.com or call 212-969-8757 for more information.