Construction sites around NYC are now increasingly becoming safer for the workers due to the new safety rules that were put into effect in 2008 by the New York City Department of Buildings. There has been an 18 percent drop in construction accidents in New York City in 2011 from 2010 according to Mayor Bloomberg. The accidents decreased from 157 to 128 in one year. The number of injuries also dropped from 165 to 152 from 2010 to 2011 as well.
Many people may think this decrease is due to construction contracts decreasing but doesn’t appear to be the case. In fact the amount of construction jobs and permits have increased 7.7 percent in 2011. In 2010 a total of 80,675 construction permits were doled out. In 2011 there were 86,895 construction permits made available.
Mayor Bloomberg said the people involved have done a great job making construction sites safer for the workers while making it easier for businesses to create jobs and get projects. This is a great accomplishment for the city but there must be a continued focus on the security and safety of the construction workers.
In a continued effort to keep construction sites safe for all workers, the Department of Buildings is requiring smoking be banned from construction sites. A construction site team was created to inspect sites all around the city, and a safety campaign was launched to teach construction workers how to use safety equipment properly at all times. All parties involved in the safety awareness campaign are hopeful the number of accidents and fatalities on construction sites in New York will continue to decline.