Several New York City building trades are calling for stricter enforcement of safety rules and training, according to a report broadcast yesterday on New York Public Radio. The rise in construction worker's deaths, 29 in 2006 compared with 18 the year before, has led these groups to worry that developers have skimped on safety, according to the report.

"There's a lot of money in the construction business right now – there's billions of dollars going on here – but a how much money are you going to save or try to make when you have someone getting hurt or someone killed," Father Brian Jordan told the radio station. Jordan counsels immigrant workers and says he's worried about the negative affects of the city's construction boom.

Late last week, Father Jordan organized a vigil for a worker who died when he fell off of a scaffold on Wednesday. Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster told the radio station that the city has launched several initiatives to increase worker safety, including increased inspections.