Construction fatalities drop in 2009 as a decade-long building boom ends
Construction fatalities dropped dramatically in New York city last year as a decade-long building boom came to a halt, but accidents and injuries rose, city statistics show.
There were three fatal construction accidents last year compared to 19 in 2008 - an 84% drop and the lowest rate in four years. In 2007, 12 people died in construction accidents; 18 died in 2006.
Buildings Commissioner Robert Limandri on Thursday credited the drop to stepped-up enforcement and increased oversight.
Nevertheless, the number of reported construction accidents jumped to 224 in 2009 from 151 the year before - even though new building permits were down by one-third. Reported injuries climbed to 246 from 178.
The Buildings Department said the higher accident rates were due to better reporting by contractors.
"We have been working to change the culture of the construction industry, to put public safety ahead of profit, and our message is being heard,' LiMandri said.
Two of the 2009 deaths involved workers falling, one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Neither had properly used a required safety harness.
The third was caused by collapse of a concrete wall in Staten Island.
In an effort to crack down on unsafe conditions, the city revised its construction codes last year for the first time in 40 years and launched a series of safety initiatives, including mandatory training for tower crane operators and tracking numbers for major contractors.
Milwaukee construction worker dies in fall
A man died Monday morning after falling 30 feet from the top of an elevator shaft on a construction site in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.
The man was clearing snow from the top of the shaft above the roof of the under-construction Jackson Square apartment project at 159 N. Jackson St., said Tiffany Wynn, Milwaukee Fire Department spokeswoman.
Milwaukee Police Department and Fire Department officials did not release the man’s name or employer before deadline Monday.
According to an e-mail attributed to Anne Schwartz, Police Department spokeswoman, the man was 45 years old.
“He was pronounced at the scene,” according to the e-mail. “This does not appear to be a criminal matter at this time.”
Wynn said she could not say if the man was wearing a safety harness. He reportedly was on the top of the elevator shaft when he fell, she said, and not on the scaffolding that encircles the shaft.
The Milwaukee Fire Department’s Heavy Urban Rescue Team, Wynn said, arrived at the scene about one minute after an incident call at 10:37 a.m. Monday. An Occupational Safety and Health
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