Construction Deaths in New York Increased During First Year of Pandemic, Report Shows

*Reposted from Gotham Gazette. Written by Ethan Geringer-Sameth. (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)*

The construction industry was more deadly to workers in New York in the first year of the pandemic than in the two years prior, reversing a multiyear decline in the statewide fatality rate, a new report shows.

Forty-one workers were killed on construction sites in New York in 2020, including 13 in New York City, according to a report published Thursday by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), part of an annual analysis previewed by Gotham Gazette. While that is fewer overall deaths than in 2019, the fatality rate among construction workers increased by 9% statewide as construction projects slowed and jobs shrunk, according to NYCOSH. New York City, however, saw that rate fall by a stunning 40%, in part speaking to conditions when the city was the epicenter of the pandemic.

At the same time, federal regulators conducted the lowest ever number of inspections in New York State in 2020, a 53% decline from 2019, the report found. It's another data point indicative of how much of an anomaly the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was.

For full article visit: https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/11080-construction-deaths-new-york-…