Breaking Ground for Change: How Brooklyn’s Construction Industry is Revolutionizing Safety Standards for Female Workers in 2024

The construction industry in Brooklyn has reached a pivotal moment in 2024, as new safety protocols and enhanced legal protections are transforming the workplace for female workers. With construction sites historically plagued by harassment and discrimination, this year marks a significant turning point in creating safer, more inclusive work environments across the borough.

The Harsh Reality: Understanding the Scope of the Problem

Research reveals that 41% of female construction workers suffered from gender harassment in a one-year period according to NIOSH, while the CWIT study found that 88% of respondents reported sexual harassment. A USA Today analysis of EEOC and Bureau of Labor Statistics data in 2018 suggested that construction is the #2 industry in the country (behind mining) for the number of reported incidents of sexual harassment reported per thousand employees.

The biggest reason cited by many tradeswomen that keep women away from construction work is harassment, with 26.5% of almost 200 respondents in an Institute for Women’s Policy Research report experiencing high levels of harassment on the job due to their gender. This harassment extends beyond verbal abuse to include unwanted sexual remarks, lewd acts, inappropriate touching, and outright sexual assault.

New Federal Guidelines Drive Industry Change

The EEOC’s 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, combined with the Strategic Enforcement Plan for Fiscal Years 2024-2028, prioritizes combatting systemic harassment in all forms. The SEP also includes a focus on industries where women and workers of color are underrepresented, especially industries that benefit from substantial federal investment, like construction.

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) from the U.S. Department of Labor recently created a new guide to combat discrimination and harassment in the construction industry, providing best practices to help employers reduce risk.

Revolutionary Safety Protocols Taking Effect

A new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, including harassment by third parties, came into force on 26 October 2024. The duty to prevent is anticipatory, intended to positively change workplace cultures by requiring employers to take proactive steps to protect their employees. Employers should not wait until a complaint of sexual harassment has been raised before taking action. They should seek to predict scenarios within their workplace where employees may be subject to sexual harassment, and take action to prevent this from taking place.

Construction companies are now implementing comprehensive safety measures that include:

• Communicating to all that harassment will not be tolerated
• Providing examples of harassment to give employees a better understanding of what constitutes harassment
• Providing training to staff and other relevant players on how to identify and combat harassment
• Publishing equal employment opportunity policy statements prohibiting unlawful harassment
• Developing formal procedures on how to handle and investigate reports of harassment

Enhanced Legal Protections for Brooklyn Workers

In New York State, employers must ensure the business abides by New York sexual harassment laws. Under New York State Sexual Harassment Laws, employees have the right to work in a sexual harassment-free workplace. Employer responsibilities under New York State Sexual Harassment Law include three main requirements: provide employees with a notice regarding sexual harassment prevention, ensure that handbooks include a policy on sexual harassment, and ensure the proper training is administered to all members of the organization.

New York arguably is tougher on employers in the area of sexual harassment. In fact, all of the federal best practices are required by New York’s sexual harassment prevention law.

Addressing Physical Safety Concerns

Beyond harassment, construction sites are implementing new protocols to address the unique physical safety challenges facing female workers. A widespread problem for women has long been the lack of PPE (personal protective equipment) in the smaller sizes generally needed to fit women. The “protective” can vanish from “PPE” if the respirator or protective clothing is too large or does not fit properly.

Jessica Bunting, research practice director for CPWR, for the Center for Construction Research and Training, said an informal survey of 174 tradeswomen found that 77% had been exposed to a hazard unnecessarily because of ill-fitting PPE.

The Role of Legal Advocacy

When harassment occurs, having experienced legal representation is crucial for protecting both workers’ rights and careers. For female construction workers facing harassment or discrimination in Brooklyn, consulting with a sexual harrassment attorney Brooklyn, NY can provide the expertise needed to navigate complex employment law and ensure proper legal recourse.

The Howley Law Firm, located in Manhattan and serving the greater New York area, brings decades of experience to employment law cases. After many years of defending multinational corporations, they formed this law firm to give individual executives, professionals, and employees the same high-quality legal representation, focusing on representing individuals in the areas of employment rights in New York. Whether representing an individual client in a sexual harassment case, or hundreds of clients in a prevailing wage class action, they are dedicated to giving clients the same high-quality, aggressive representation that corporations get at large law firms.

Creating Lasting Change

Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), issued a statement: “Harassment or discrimination in any form cannot be tolerated on construction sites, and, as we have said repeatedly, the construction industry can and must do more to prevent these terrible and pervasive workplace issues”.

Companies can take active steps to make construction a more lucrative career for women. Creating, implementing, and enforcing anti-harassment policies can go a long way in creating a more comfortable working environment for tradeswomen. In the IWPR survey, four in ten respondents reported that such policies were essential to their career success.

The transformation of Brooklyn’s construction industry in 2024 represents more than just compliance with new regulations—it signals a fundamental shift toward creating workplaces where all workers can thrive safely and productively. As these new protocols take hold and legal protections strengthen, the industry is positioning itself to attract and retain the diverse workforce it needs to meet growing construction demands while ensuring every worker’s dignity and safety on the job.