Construction Accidents and Unionization

Ken Margolin

Contributor

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A New York Times article at the end of last year reported that the number of construction fatalities more than doubled from the previous twelve month period. The biggest cause of construction deaths was falling, followed by death
from falling objects. The OSHA spokesman in New York City noted that non-union workers appeared to be more heavily at risk for death and serious injury. Union workers may be better trained than non-unionized workers and the overall safety of the workplace may be higher due to union oversight and activity. Use of non-union workers may save money, but the savings come at a cost of construction worker safety.