Recently, thousands of construction sites across New York City have been hit with a series of surprise inspections. Officials claim that this sudden crackdown is designed to promote accountability and safety within the notoriously dangerous construction industry in NYC. As of writing, more than 11,000 violations have been documented, with the number only continuing to grow. Urgent care centers in the U.S. clock about three visits per hour, with more than 50 per day, many of which are injuries common on construction sites. The trouble is, in NYC, these sites have apparently been becoming increasingly dangerous. Inspections are likely to continue for the foreseeable future as a preventive measure to protect construction workers.

Construction industry dangers continue

Historically, the construction industry has been successful yet dangerous. As it stands, the construction equipment industry is expected to grow 12% from 2016 to 2026. This growth, unfortunately, comes at a cost - many construction sites frequently fail to meet regulatory safety standards that are put in place both for the protection of workers and those in future buildings. As a result, injuries have become commonplace in the industry. Approximately 31 million injuries that require medical attention occur every year in the United States. Construction injuries in New York City alone soared by 61% to reach 761 last year. Meanwhile, the number of construction fatalities on the job has remained constant over the past twelve years. There may be more than 6,200 hospitals around the country, but they’d like to see fewer injuries. As would people working in construction. Thus, accountability is essential.

Ongoing inspections increase oversight

In response to the growing number of injuries, New York City is increasing the rate at which it conducts inspections of ongoing construction. According to one poll, only two in 10 workers believe their managers are encouraging them to do their best work. Polls like that raise alarms and shoddy work bring inspections, especially in the construction industry. While previously inspections were only conducted upon request for scheduled visits or in response to complaints, random inspections are now revealing more gross neglect of regulations. So far, more than 11,000 violations have been documented on construction sites, with the number only growing as more inspections are conducted. In addition to the 11,000 violations, more than 2,000 construction sites have been fully shut down at least temporarily until adjustments have been made to guarantee worker safety. This is one of the first continued proactive protection measures the city has conducted for construction sites in recent decades and is also one of the most widespread.

Preventing future injuries and damage

With the proactive inspections continuing, officials say the results look promising. As more violations are caught and documented, more workers will be protected from future injury while on the job. Additionally, the changing precedent means more construction sites are likely to be consistently safe; with surprise inspections, consistently following regulations becomes more important. Ideally, the frequent inspections of construction sites will have a positive impact on working conditions for construction workers, though the long-term results remain to be seen.