Eleven men perch precariously on a metal beam, eating lunch, lighting cigarettes or drinking from glass bottles. Wearing only cloth caps as head protection, the men dwarf the hazy background of 1930s New York City and Central Park. Much has changed since workers building the 66-story, 850-foot-tall Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan posed for “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” in 1932, but it remains construction’s most iconic photograph. — Construction Dive
The photograph, which was originally displayed in the New York Herald Tribune on October 2, 1932, was and continues to be a positive and widely admired American symbol. However, when examining what’s being depicted, it is undeniable that there is an array of problematic safety violations present, including a lack of proper footwear, personal protective equipment, and fall protection. It reflects how far safety standards have come from a time when they were nonexistent, and workplace fatalities were expected.
As noted by Construction Dive, with today’s OSHA standards, the scene depicted in the photo could result in initial fines of approximately $155,000 per person. The photo also symbolizes the ongoing fight for continued worker protection. Construction still remains one of the deadliest industries in the U.S, with slips, trips, and falls among the most deadly hazards. Latino workers also make up a disproportionate quantity of deaths on U.S. construction sites.
1 Comment
This article forgets to mention that not only were current safety standards pushed by Trade Unions, but unionized construction workers have lower injury rates in the current environment.
"While union representation is not a magic bullet to workplace safety problems, there is little doubt that it makes a positive difference. A recent report surveying the construction industry published by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute based on publicly reported OSHA data found that union worksites are 19% less likely to have an OSHA violation and had 34% fewer violations per OSHA inspection than non-union worksites. Overall, while unions represent 14% of the construction industry employees, their employers account for only 5% of the industry’s OSHA violations."
https://blog.dol.gov/2022/05/1...
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