OSHA Standards
The New York Daily News ran an opinion piece recently regarding OSHA and the real lack of protection for construction workers on the job site. Many are critical about the safety issues and blame local government, when in reality the blame should fall federally.
For all the talk about how the city has failed to keep construction sites safe, it’s this federal agency, not the city, that has jurisdiction over worker safety.
And OSHA’s failure to monitor work sites, update obsolete standards, levy meaningful penalties and provide adequate training about workplace hazards are a big reason for the rash of recent construction fatalities in New York City and across the country.
OSHA standards are also very out of date and the organization is having a hard time keeping up with the speed of technology, such as cranes, on the job site. With the city’s hands tied over legislation, who is going to step up for the workers?