New York, NY —
Everyday, construction workers pour concrete hundreds of feet in the air, cranes hover overhead and familiar views of the sky disappear. Since 2003, the city has been experiencing a historic building boom. Development hasn't been this high for 30 years.
But that prosperity has come at a high cost. So far this year, 27 construction workers have died working on private and public jobs in New York City, even as the city and the federal government try to find new ways to improve safety. In the "The Cost of Doing Business," WNYC looks at one accident from earlier this year and analyzes why this new attention to construction safety came up short.
On January 30th, Jose Palacios, a Mexican immigrant, fell to his death when the scaffold underneath him collapsed. Reporters Cindy Rodriguez and Matthew tell the story of how and why he died.