You are probably aware of the increasing number of construction accidents happening on New York sites. While there has been much attention given to the rising number of injuries and fatalities, lawmakers have yet to find the problem and organize an effective solution. The New York Daily News reports on another piece to the puzzle that may be a major contributor to the number of incidents: a lack of inspections.
Between 2012 and 2015, the number of federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration inspectors dropped from 82 to 66. Each year since 2011, the number of federal inspections has also fallen. While you used to be able to count on 2,722 inspections being performed, that number had decreased by almost 800 to 1,966 by 2015.
The number of accidents resulting in injury and death saw a major jump between the years 2011 to 2015. At the beginning of the time period, you may only have seen 128 of this type of incident across the entire state. By the end of 2015, 435 incidents had occurred in that year alone. Fatalities had also jumped from 33 to 55 during the same time period.
One major area of concern is that many accidents occurring in New York City are likely preventable. While the nationwide number of falls accounts for 36 percent of all construction-related deaths, the rate in NYC is much higher, claiming the lives of 59 percent of those workers who are killed. This information is intended for your education and should not be taken as legal advice.