On-the-job deaths increased sharply in the city last year, reversing a decade-long decline, the government said yesterday.
There were 107 fatal work injuries here last year, compared with 94 in 2003, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
That 14-percent jump – much bigger than a 2-percent rise nationwide – was mainly due to a spike in the number of employees falling from high places or being struck by a vehicle or mobile equipment.
Work-related fatalities in New York City had plummeted since hitting a peak of 191 deaths in 1993.
Murder remained the most common cause of death on the job in New York, accounting for one in four fatalities. But the number dropped from 32 killings in 2003 to 29 last year, the bureau’s research found.
Nationally, highway accidents were the most common cause of occupational deaths at 25 percent.
But in New York City they accounted for only 6 percent of all fatalities.
The most dangerous sector of the city’s economy last year was construction, which accounted for 28 deaths – an increase of 5 over 2003. Most of the construction deaths were due to falls.
Retail trade and the accommodation/food service sectors were the next most dangerous categories.