Workplace Deaths Decline in New York City

The recession and slowdown in construction activity in New York City had a silver lining last year: A reduction in workplace deaths.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were 63 workplace fatalities in the city in 2009.

That’s 27 fewer than a year earlier, and the lowest total since the bureau began tracking fatalities comprehensively in 1992.

Fewer falls at construction sites accounted for much of the decline, according to the Bureau of Labor.

There were five fatal falls on job sites last year, compared to 25 in 2008.

Homicide was the leading cause of workplace deaths, with 16 killings. Suicides followed, with 12.

On-the-job deaths have been dropping steadily in the city since the early 1990s, when the city had more than 100 workplace slayings several years in a row.

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