Dive Brief:
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Even as the construction industry gets incrementally safer, a greater number of Latino workers are dying on job sites, according to a report by BuzzFeed News.
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According to the analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the number of Latino construction workers who died increased from 181 to 231 between 2010 and 2013.
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University of California, Berkeley professor Harley Shaiken with the Center for Latin American Studies told CBS many of the fatalities occurred among the ranks of undocumented laborers who work in dangerous jobs, often for contractors who are unconcerned about their safety.
Dive Insight:
Shaiken called for stricter government monitoring of unlicensed contractors who might be putting the lives of Latino laborers at risk. He also suggested that unions could get involved to enforce safety measures that could save employee lives.