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Although injuries are on the rise, the DOB said fewer incident investigations required enforcement measures due to unsafe or illegal conditions by employers in 2023. When all safeguards are in place, those injuries are deemed to be an error on the worker’s part.
“Our team at DOB has been taking a close look at these injuries, to get a better understanding of where they are occurring, and why they are happening,” said DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo, in a statement shared with Construction Dive. “This dichotomy between less fatalities and more injuries underscores the complexity of the task before us to help foster a culture of safety in the industry we regulate.”
The agency issued 18.4% fewer Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings violations year over year and handed out 32.7% fewer stop work orders from last year— counting the lowest number of each administrative action since at least 2020.
In addition, the report said construction activity has remained consistent with previous years, and initial permits for new building projects increased 28%.
“Collectively, we should be proud of the collaborative work done in 2023 to drive down building construction-related fatalities, but there is still so much work to do because even one death is too many,” Oddo said in the release.
The report coincides with Construction Safety Week, taking place from May 6 to May 10. On Wednesday, OSHA will host a national stand down to address fall protection.
In addition to highlighting the data around safety for the year, the report details the occasions where workers died, and includes information on near misses, such as a crane fire in Manhattan last July that injured 12 people.
John Caravella Esq., is a construction attorney and formerly practicing project architect at The Law Office of John Caravella, P.C., representing architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and owners in all phases of contract preparation, litigation, and arbitration across New York and Florida. He also serves as an arbitrator to the American Arbitration Association Construction Industry Panel. Mr. Caravella can be reached by email: John@LIConstructionLaw.com or (631) 608-1346.
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Zachary Phillips joined Construction Dive in September 2019. Prior to that, he worked as an editorial intern for the Baltimore Business Journal and the Hill.com. He is a graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, where he covered several beats across numerous school publications, including the Diamondback, Testudo Times and Capital News Service. In his free time, he enjoys table top board games and cheering on the Baltimore Ravens.
