BY CARTER MYERS-BROWN<\/p>\n
As part of his broader \u201cBlock by Block\u201d housing agenda, Mayor Zohran Mamdani will announce May 26 that the city will establish a new Committee on Construction Safety aimed at reducing fatalities and injuries in one of New York\u2019s deadliest industries.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a moment when working people are being pushed out of the city they built, New York cannot afford half-measures or delays,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement announcing the plan. \u201cWe are setting the most ambitious housing production and preservation targets in the city\u2019s modern history \u2026 while also protecting tenants and homeowners, investing in public housing and ensuring the workers building that housing have good-paying, safe jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials said the committee, expected to convene in fall 2026, will study recurring causes of injuries and fatalities and recommend legislative, enforcement and accountability reforms. The body will be overseen by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani.<\/p>\n
It will include labor representatives, workers, city officials and industry experts.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Chief, DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said the administration is attempting to balance its push for faster housing production with stronger workplace protections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a desperate need for more housing supply,\u201d Tigani said. \u201cBut in order to have the trust of the people who are going to be affected by that development, we need to demonstrate that we are going to hold firm on the protections that are in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The administration says the committee will also examine how emerging technology could reduce dangerous work and limit workers\u2019 exposure to extreme weather. Officials pointed to robotics, sensor-equipped wearables and digital construction management systems as tools that could reduce hazardous tasks and create safer, more regulated job sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, officials stressed that the strongest protections against injuries and deaths remain rigorous enforcement, employer accountability, comprehensive worker training in employees\u2019 primary languages and ensuring workers can refuse unsafe assignments without fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n
Construction fatalities have risen<\/p>\n
While the City\u2019s 2025 construction safety report<\/a> showed injuries on building sites fell 34 percent \u2014 from 482 in 2024 to 320 in 2025, a 58 percent decline from the recent high of 759 injuries in 2018 \u2014 fatalities still increased this year, rising from seven to 10 deaths.<\/p>\n \u00a0Falls remained the leading cause of death on construction sites, accounting for six of the city\u2019s 10 fatalities this year.<\/p>\n One of the incidents occurred during renovations at the Waldorf Astoria New York, where a worker assisting with an electrical installation fell roughly 40 feet through a ceiling into the ballroom below and died from his injuries. Investigators later concluded the worker lacked proper fall protection equipment and that the scope of the assignment had not been \u201cadequately communicated\u201d to him.<\/p>\n DOB issued a full stop-work order following the death.<\/p>\n Other fatalities this year involved building collapses during demolition work, workers struck by heavy machinery and severe burns sustained during welding operations.<\/p>\n The Chief has previously reported on the widespread mental health concerns among construction workers<\/a>, including addiction and suicide; issues Tigani said the new committee will address.<\/p>\n While suicides are not currently included in the agency\u2019s annual construction safety report, Tigani said DOB intends to add them for the next report. He added that due to a City Council bill passed late last year, <\/a>the agency recently mandated a two-hour mental health and suicide prevention component in the city\u2019s Site Safety Training program, which officials estimate will eventually reach nearly 450,000 workers renewing safety certification cards.<\/p>\n Expanding oversight of wage theft<\/p>\n Tigani also said DOB has expanded outreach to immigrant and vulnerable workers who may fear interacting with enforcement agencies. In recent months, the department launched multilingual public education campaigns explaining the role of DOB inspectors and clarifying that the agency\u2019s enforcement work is separate from federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n