'Underground industry' is blamed for deaths.

Lack of adequate safety training and supervision, language barriers and lax or non-existent code enforcement on mostly non-union construction sites are largely to blame for construction-related accidents and fatalities in New York City, says a new industry report.

The report, "Construction Safety: A Tale of Two Cities" was released by the Construction Industry Partnership (CIP) as a follow-up to a November 2002 "Summit on Construction Safety" convened by New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster. The report offers recommendations to supervising agencies to help protect public and worker safety and lower the nearly $1 billion cost to the City of New York.

"The report reveals two different construction industries," said Louis J. Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers Association and co-chair of CIP. "One where project management and trade labor workforces are highly trained and comply with all regulations, and the other, a poorly regulated underground industry, which regularly skirts safety laws. "Operators in this underground industry have become increasingly savvy about avoiding inspections and the consequences have been deadly."

The report has found that in New York City:

* Some $40 million is spent every year on safety training for project management and trade labor workforces, but highly trained workers make up only a portion of the overall construction industry.

* The New York City construction industry has over 10,000 firms, of which 77.6% employ 9 or fewer employees. To stay competitive, many of these smaller operations do not offer safety training and encourage corner-cutting tactics that include low job qualifications, night and weekend work to avoid inspections and flagrant violations of permit requirements--all of which result in unsafe job sites where language barriers and improper safety training compromise worker and public safety.

* The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration conclude that union workers in New York City have a great deal of safety training which helps them recognize hazards and operate safely.

* 70% of all construction worker fatalities in New York City occurred on non-union construction sites from October 1, 2001 to September 3, 2002.

* Construction fatalities and accidents Cost the city an estimated $858 million in 2002.

The report calls for sweeping reforms in the construction industry that would save lives and an estimated $266 million annually. Among the recommendations, the report urges:

* Adoption of mandatory safety training requirements for project management and trade labor personnel prior to issuing building permits.

* Establishment of a task force of industry and government leaders to develop new enforcement strategies.

* Adoption of site safety requirements for projects 5-14 stories high.

* Expansion of insurance and tax verification filing requirements for contractors.

* Encouragement of owners to require drug and alcohol testing.

* Establishment of a unified construction accident reporting system.

"Worker safety is an extremely important issue for the building trades," said Edward J. Malloy, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and co-chair of CIP.

"All too often, we see working men and women injured or killed on a job site. While construction is the most dangerous occupation in this city, these recommendations will go a long way toward reducing the frequency of such tragic accidents and the high costs, both human and financial, that they incur."

The report also indicates that despite the increased and significant efforts by the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) and OSHA to curtail accidents and enforce safety provisions, both agencies have been historically hampered by a lack of funding.

"We applaud the efforts of the Department of Buildings and the" Bloomberg Administration for making noticeable improvements on worker and public safety issues," added Mr. Coletti. "Our ultimate goal is to forge a partnership between the industry, DOB and OSHA to enact our proposals. It is imperative that the City establish a set of standards for all contractors and ensure that permit requirements and inspections are enforced so the public and workers are protected from senseless accidents."