New York City Sees Fewer Construction Deaths As New Safety Law Awaits Hochul's Signature

Abstract

A new safety law awaiting signing by Gov. Kathy Hochul may bring more progress. Partly because of the pandemic slow-down and stepped up city safety enforcement, after three years of consistent increases, 13 construction workers died on the job in 2020, compared to 24 the years before. "New York should be a national leader in workers safety," said Charlene Obernauer, executive director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health, a nonprofit organization that performs safety training and advocates for worker safety. Of Buildings 13 months ago adopted a zero-tolerance approach to safety violations and last year began inspection "Sweeps" of jobsites to enforce it. New City Construction Safety RulesThe city council also adopted five new laws proposed by the buildings department, including licensing all general contractors, requiring licenses for all superintendents and safety professionals of buildings seven-to-nine stories tall, tightening rules for light cold-formed steel construction and prohibiting the use of stand-off brackets for C-hook suspended scaffolds. Under the law, the state penal code is revised to better protect workers where supervisors negligently fail to comply with safety rules and endanger a worker's welfare. The U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $374,000 in penalties against Richmond Construction related to the accident and subsequent inspections.