Increase in Fatal Construction Accidents

By PATRICK McGEEHAN, NY Times

Working in New York City was more hazardous last year, especially for construction workers and particularly for those who are Hispanic, according to a report on workplace fatalities released yesterday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of on-the-job deaths in the city rose to 99 last year, from 88 in 2005, the report said. The increase was driven by a jump in the number of deaths in construction, which nearly doubled to 43 from 23. Forty-three of the 99 workers were Hispanic, up from 22 in 2005, the report said. The number of workers murdered on the job fell to 15, the lowest in 15 years.