Making construction safety is a priority for industry.

While construction activity slowed to a crawl in 2002 and may decline even further in 2003, rebuilding lower Manhattan, and other projects such as developing the West Side, could soon be underway. It is critical that these initiatives, as well as others around New York, be built in an environment that protects both public and worker safety.

Yes, the construction industry is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world and no construction site is 100% safe, but accidents and fatalities can be greatly reduced if project supervisors and workers are provided comprehensive safety training.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 70% of the 25 construction fatalities in New York City in 2001, including seven day laborers, occurred at sites where companies did not provide safety or skill training for their workforce.

The Ground Zero cleanup effort magnified the role of safety training. The skilled and trained workers at this site removed some 1.3 million tons of debris and logged in more than three million hours. They performed one of the most perilous jobs ever in U.S construction industry history. And yet there were no fatalities or serious injury reported.

Property owners and developers need to follow the example of Ground Zero and understand that a highly-trained workforce is the best and only choice for New York. Data developed for a 1995 Business Roundtable study showed that accidents cost $8.9 billion or 6.5% of the $137 billion spent annually by users of industrial construction. The report further stated that "...owners...by showing more concern for construction safety, can help reduce injuries and loss of life and the billions of dollars needlessly wasted by construction accidents."

Mayor Bloomberg recently stated that New York will never be the least expensive city in which to operate a business. And he's right. After all, New York is the "capital of the world."

But the city's real estate industry must understand that a skilled and trained workforce lowers the chance for accidents or fatalities and is a solid investment, albeit a more costly than an untrained workforce.

While the city has made some progress in making sites safer, they can do more. The city needs to impose strong sanctions when contractors violate permit and safety rules, and hire day laborers and illegal immigrants. In addition, officials need to increase site inspections and expand the number of inspectors throughout the five boroughs.

The industry itself also has been working to make building safer in New York. Established in 1998, The Construction Industry Partnership or CIP brings together the pre-eminent labor and management organizations in New York City -- the Building Trades Employers' Association (BTEA) and the Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC). Together, we represent 25 contractor associations, which include more than 1,500 construction managers, general contractors and subcontractor construction companies, 54 affiliated unions and 100,000 skilled building trades members.

As an industry, the CIP provides apprenticeship training through "Construction Skills 2000" to future tradesmen and women which stresses safety above all. We must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to provide public safety and protect workers at sites around the five boroughs. We need the help and support of our policymakers. With the most important building project ever in New York City on the horizon construction safety should be one of our top priorities for 2003...and beyond.