Feds Find Fall Hazards at NYC Construction Sites

The federal government says that fall hazards are the biggest safety problem at New York City construction sites after random inspections last summer.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued $247,400 in fines after inspecting 46 sites last June and July.

The inspectors cited 60 contractors with 129 violations. Nearly a third of the violations involved fall hazards. The contractors were also cited for electrical safety, problems with scaffolds, cranes and improper welding.

OSHA’s Manhattan area director, Richard Mendelson, says the agency will use the information to decide where it should target its federal inspections in the future.

The spot inspections happened after a rash of fatal construction accidents in the city, including two crane collapses that killed nine people.