New York, NY: The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the landscape of the New York City construction industry. In January 2021, the Real Estate Board of New York reported a plummet of new proposed construction in the City during 2020. New construction proposals dove nearly 30% compared with those in 2019, with a mere 21 new construction applications filed for Manhattan in 2020. This dramatic decrease, coupled with workforce shut-downs and restrictions imposed during the pandemic, left many of the men and women who built this city out of work.
However, the resiliency of New York City has begun to shine through the pandemic’s darkness, especially that of the City’s construction sector. It is no secret that the restoration of New York City will rely on those who built it. Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the restart of construction work on $17 billion worth of public projects that have been on hold during the pandemic. In addition, the New York State and Federal Government have introduced legislative infrastructure proposals that emphasize the construction of commercial and residential buildings, transportation, and the environment. These projects will put the construction sector, especially unionized workers, back to work.
The workers of New York City are also leading our country’s comeback. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting widespread growth of construction jobs nationwide. In the month of March alone, the national construction sector added 110,000 jobs. This promising increase comes on the heels of a reported 931,000 construction jobs added since April 2020, more than an 80% recovery of jobs lost during the early stages of the pandemic.
Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, PC recognizes that our construction industry will bring New York City back following this unprecedented time in history. With our construction workers and building trades returning to an abundance of projects, they step into the throes of potential danger each day. The New York City construction fatality rate has sadly increased in recent years to 11.6 per 100,000 construction workers. In addition, OSHA construction fines for fatality cases have remained low—an average of $32,719 in 2019.
As the Voice of the Injured, Raphaelson & Levine stands ready to fight for the rights of all workers injured in pursuit of building back our City. If you are injured in a construction accident in New York, or if you wish to learn more about your legal rights following a construction accident, visit our website www.rllawyers.com, our social media, or call 212-268-3222 for a free consultation.
