A new report from the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has shown an alarming increase in construction worker fatalities in the city for 2022.

A total of 11 deaths were recorded for the year, up from 9 the previous year and the 8 that were recorded in 2020. A total of 9 fatal accidents were the result of falls, which injured another 200 workers. Brooklyn led all five boroughs with 6 fatalities, while Manhattan led the tally of injuries at 255.

The DOB says an increase in building activity citywide is at least partially to blame.

This comes a year after the agency enacted a program of “zero tolerance” safety sweeps resulting in stop-work orders at nearly 1,500 construction sites throughout New York City. The year 2022 had a recorded decline in those orders. The report also cited the impacts of better safety equipment for workers and the increased emphasis on safety education practices.

Despite the statistics, New York City is becoming a national standard-bearer for addressing such safety issues in the construction industry following a period in 2021 in which 89% of all job sites were reported to have some safety violation. Measures such as Carlos’ Law, which increased the minimum punitive damages awardable for workplace fatalities, and the DOB's own changes to job oversight requirements and the implementation of a new Winter Safety Campaign (among other proactive actions) are, experts hope, going to spark a reverse in direction. 

It's worth noting the disparity between the new DOB statistics and those reported recently by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), which showed a much higher figure of workers, 22, dying in various accidents throughout the calendar year.