NYCOSH Data Reveals NY Construction Fatality Rate Soars over National Average
Deaths on construction sites in New York state and New York City happen more often than anywhere else around the country.
A new report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health shows insights into safety on New York jobsites.
According to the report, which analyzed data from 2020 the most recent year of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fatality rate in New York State and New York City is above the national average of construction site deaths. In 2020, construction deaths accounted for 22 percent of all worker deaths in New York City and 24 percent of all worker deaths in New York State. The national average is 21 percent.
The report mentioned that there were significantly less workers on construction sites in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the numbers that were present in the report were indicative of those who died on construction sites due to safety issues, not health issues stemming from transmission of the virus.
The report states that New York State’s construction industry fatality numbers did decrease in 2020, from 55 deaths in 2019 to 41 deaths in 2020. This 25 percent decrease could be a result of less workers on the job.
NYCOSH also mentioned that the construction fatality rate in New York City fell for the first time in three years while New York State’s rate increased. New York City’s rate decreased from 11.6 per 100,000 in 2019 to 7 in 2020, a startling 40 percent decrease. New York State’s rate increased from 10.2 per 100,000 in 2019 to 11.1 per 100,000 in 2020—a 9 percent increase.
In addition to the ups and downs in percentages, NYCOSH also reported an increase in fines for construction safety violations. The average fine amount in 2020 was $44,779, up 39 percent from $32,719 in 2019. In 2020, the top fine issued in New York State was against Everest Scaffolding Inc. in the amount of $300,370.
To read more insights from the report, visit nycosh.org.