REMARKS
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa introduces Intro 865 on workplace fatality reporting
0:22:31
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167 sec
Council Member Carmen De La Rosa introduces Intro 865, also known as the Worker Fatality Bill, which aims to create a public database of workplace fatalities in New York City.
She presents statistics on rising construction worker deaths, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on workers of color and immigrants. De La Rosa explains that the bill's goal is to reduce workplace deaths to zero by improving data collection and accountability.
- It builds on previous state-level legislation but focuses on NYC-specific data
- The bill aims to cover all industries, with a particular focus on construction due to its high risks
Carmen De La Rosa
0:22:31
Thank you, Chairman and thank you to the panel for being here, and I wanna thank DCWP for also coming over today to have this conversation.
0:22:40
I'm council member Carmen Dela Rosa, the prime sponsor of intro 865.
0:22:45
Also known as the Raker Fatality Bill.
0:22:47
According to Nikash's 2024 deadly skies report, which is working off limited data from 2022, the US Department of Labor Statistics construction worker deaths in New York City, in particular, continue to rise as statewide deaths decreased.
0:23:03
24 construction workers died in 2022 compared to 20 in 2021.
0:23:09
At the beginning of my first legislative session at the council were placed for its Workplace fatalities in New York City were up to up from pre pandemic levels, while OSHA's inspections remain low, pre pandemic low below pre pandemic level, and issued less and less public information.
0:23:28
Workers of color die on the job at higher rates.
0:23:31
With black and Latino workers, job fatality rates are disproportionately higher and continue to increase.
0:23:37
A story far too common as shown by the British collapse in Baltimore or 6 Latinx, immigrant workers lost their lives after the crash.
0:23:46
Immigrant workers are less likely to report safety violations out of fear of retaliation from employers and government agencies according to night cash's report.
0:23:56
Violations at worksite coincide with worker fatalities, as we know, pointing to a trend of unscrupulous employers who put work over safety.
0:24:05
However, violations do not do enough to deter death nor shame unscrupulous actors into compliance.
0:24:13
Our legislation, which we are presenting here today, creates a set of data for us to use to follow-up on deaths while holding employers accountable and financially liable for now reporting.
0:24:25
Our real goal is to reduce workplace deaths to 0 because no one expects to go to work and now make it back home, especially the workers from our city.
0:24:35
I'm grateful to both the CLC Mason tenders the laborers for their collaboration on this legislation.
0:24:43
You know, this is kind of a full circle moment.
0:24:46
As when I was in the assembly, we worked closely to pass legislation on a state level.
0:24:52
We know given the density of our city and the booming workforce that we need data that is specific to what is happening here, and that goes beyond construction, although construction continues to be a point of focus given the dangers that exist.
0:25:09
And so I am grateful for us to be able to move this legislation and have this hearing, and I'm looking forward to our collaborative partnership here.
0:25:17
Thank you.
