New York has a serious issue with construction-related accidents and deaths. This industry is highly dangerous and seems to be more so in NYC than other places. The worst part is that the problem continues to get worse despite increased efforts to make construction work safer.

CBS explains that construction accident rates are incredibly higher than they should be in the city. In a five-year span, the increase in deaths was 33% and injuries went up by 221%. The reasons for such high numbers are not entirely clear, although there is some information that may help shed light on the cause.

1. Cheap labor

A contributing factor to the high accident rate is that contractors are in stiff competition in the city. This means they will do pretty much anything to underbid other companies. The common way to underbid is to hire cheap labor, but these workers do not receive proper training or preparation for the dangers on the work sites.

2. Cutting corners

Another way that contractors try to save is cutting corners when it comes to equipment. Not only do they use equipment that they do not properly maintain, but also they skimp on providing safety gear and putting safety barriers in place.

3. High pressure

The construction industry is booming in the city, so there is a lot of work. With an increase in work, there is a push to try to get things done faster. Putting this pressure on workers to do whatever it takes to hurry and complete projects opens the doors to accidents.

In general, the atmosphere within the construction industry in the city is not helping keep workers safe. There is a lot of stress and that leads to accidents. Because construction work is dangerous by design, many of these accidents lead to fatalities, which results in the statistics coming out.