A construction worker who died Friday morning after falling two stories from a scaffold was New York City’s 11th construction fatality this year.
The incident at an affordable housing site in Williamsburg occurred at the site of a development owned by Two Trees Management Co., which released a statement saying that all work on the site was stopped and that the company working with the to determine the cause of the accident.
Fourteen of the 17 construction worker deaths reported last year in NYC by OSHA occurred on nonunion worksites, according to news sources. The Building and Construction Trades Council cites that as evidence that union sites are safer than their nonunion counterparts. The Dominio Sugar factory is a nonunion worksite.
Trades president Gary LaBarbera blamed some construction fatalities on a lack of safety training. LaBarbera wants federal- or state-approved apprenticeship programs required on city-backed projects.
More than 10,000 construction workers participated in a march last year, demanding legislation to toughen safety standards for their industry. After the deaths of two construction workers last month, the City Council said it would convene an oversight hearing to explore regulations that would bolster building safety and examine best practices.