:: rawblogXport ::

:: Friday, October 19, 2007 ::

Construction deaths soar in New York - By CRISTIAN SALAZAR, The Associated Press
The government does not break down workplace deaths by immigration status, so it is difficult to know how many involve illegal immigrants.

But a review of federal data from 1997 to 2006 illustrates some powerful trends In that period, there was a more than 260 percent increase in construction deaths in the city involving Hispanics, the largest and one of the fastest-growing im
migrant groups in New York. Six Hispanics died in 1997 working construction, 22 in 2006.

A review of 2006 OSHA reports on New York construction fatalities obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request showed that deaths followed a certain pattern. An internal report by OSHA's Manhattan office echoed the findings.

Workers were more likely to die on construction jobs if they were foreign-born, Hispanic, spoke a language other than English, and worked for a nonunion crew. They were also more likely to die from injuries sustained from falls.

Mostly, the workers fell because they had no safety gear or it was not being used properly. Often, those who died had little or no safety training.

Some victims were crushed to death in building or trench collapses, or struck by falling debris. Some were electrocuted. A few were burned alive.

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