Roughly 430,000 people work in Ulster, Dutchess and Orange counties. Using national injury rates by industry, we estimate about 11,900 of them are hurt on the job in a typical year. New York employers report injuries at a lower rate than the national average, so the true figure is likely between 10,000 and 12,000.
Most of those injuries are between a worker and their own employer. But a large share happen on someone else’s property, around someone else’s equipment, or on the road. When another party caused the injury, the injured worker may have a personal injury claim against them. Construction sites and delivery routes are where those claims come up most.
This page brings together our county-by-county workplace injury estimates, New York’s fatal-injury data, and a plain-language guide to when a third party can be held responsible.
Estimated workplace injuries by county
| County | Workers (2023) | Estimated injuries per year |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 191,582 | 5,339 |
| Dutchess | 150,187 | 4,106 |
| Ulster | 88,000 | 2,472 |
| Three counties | 429,769 | 11,917 |
Estimated workplace injuries by town
| Town or city | County | Workers | Estimated injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wappinger | Dutchess | 18,964 | 512 |
| Poughkeepsie | Dutchess | 15,374 | 415 |
| East Fishkill | Dutchess | 13,764 | 372 |
| New Windsor | Orange | 13,170 | 356 |
| Newburgh | Orange | 12,879 | 348 |
| Kingston | Ulster | 11,867 | 320 |
| Warwick | Orange | 10,611 | 286 |
| Saugerties | Ulster | 9,527 | 257 |
| New Paltz | Ulster | 8,565 | 231 |
Which industries see the most injuries
| Industry | Workers, 3 counties | Ulster | Dutchess | Orange | Total estimated injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education, health care & social assistance | 124,017 | 870 | 1,599 | 1,748 | 4,217 |
| Retail | 50,794 | 295 | 439 | 841 | 1,575 |
| Food service, arts & hotels | 34,188 | 383 | 460 | 627 | 1,470 |
| Transportation & warehousing | 23,610 | 176 | 337 | 549 | 1,062 |
| Manufacturing | 27,447 | 133 | 272 | 363 | 768 |
| Public administration | 22,396 | 109 | 281 | 327 | 717 |
| Construction | 29,127 | 152 | 223 | 295 | 670 |
| Professional & administrative services | 47,733 | 79 | 137 | 165 | 381 |
| Other services | 20,773 | 77 | 123 | 154 | 354 |
| Wholesale trade | 9,751 | 43 | 75 | 107 | 225 |
| Agriculture & forestry | 4,744 | 101 | 50 | 48 | 199 |
| Finance & real estate | 23,928 | 28 | 65 | 74 | 167 |
| Information | 11,263 | 26 | 45 | 41 | 112 |
Health care and education lead because they employ the most people. Transportation and warehousing has the highest injury rate of any large sector, at roughly 4.5 per 100 workers.
Construction: fewer reported injuries, far more deaths
Construction ranks seventh for estimated injuries in the region. That number hides how serious construction injuries are. In 2024, 50 of New York’s 217 workplace deaths were in construction, nearly one in four. Falls, slips and trips caused 49 deaths statewide, and transportation incidents caused 72.
| Construction | Workers | Estimated injuries per year |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 940 | 22 |
| Saugerties | 723 | 17 |
| New Paltz | 378 | 9 |
| Wappinger | 1,352 | 31 |
| East Fishkill | 1,010 | 23 |
| Poughkeepsie | 360 | 8 |
| Newburgh | 833 | 19 |
| Warwick | 837 | 19 |
| New Windsor | 628 | 14 |
Construction is also where New York law gives injured workers the strongest protection against parties other than their employer. Three sections of the state Labor Law matter most:
- Labor Law § 240(1), the “Scaffold Law.” Property owners and general contractors are responsible when a worker is hurt in a fall from height, or by a falling object, because proper safety devices were missing or failed. Scaffolds, ladders, hoists and harnesses are the usual examples.
- Labor Law § 241(6). Owners and contractors must follow specific safety rules in the New York Industrial Code. A violation that causes an injury can support a claim.
- Labor Law § 200. Owners and contractors who control a work site must keep it reasonably safe.
These claims are brought against the owner, the general contractor or another subcontractor, not against the injured worker’s own employer. Read more on our construction accident practice page and in six things to know if you’re hurt on a Hudson Valley construction job. New York also raised penalties on companies whose negligence kills a worker through Carlos’ Law.
Transportation and warehousing: injuries on someone else’s property and roads
About 23,600 people in the three counties work in transportation and warehousing. Orange County alone accounts for more than half of them, around the Interstate 84 and Route 17 distribution corridor.
| Transportation & warehousing | Workers | Estimated injuries per year |
|---|---|---|
| Newburgh | 1,065 | 48 |
| New Windsor | 1,071 | 48 |
| Warwick | 501 | 23 |
| Wappinger | 1,103 | 50 |
| Poughkeepsie | 924 | 42 |
| East Fishkill | 814 | 37 |
| Kingston | 688 | 31 |
| Saugerties | 722 | 32 |
| New Paltz | 149 | 7 |
Drivers and delivery workers spend much of their day on public roads and at other businesses’ docks and doorsteps. A worker hit by a negligent motorist may have a claim against that driver, as in any other car accident. A worker who slips on an icy loading dock or an unlit stairway at a delivery stop may have a premises liability claim against that property’s owner. Forklift and conveyor injuries can point to the equipment’s manufacturer or to the company responsible for maintaining it.
Fatal workplace injuries in New York
| Year | Deaths in New York |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 236 |
| 2016 | 272 |
| 2017 | 313 |
| 2018 | 271 |
| 2019 | 273 |
| 2020 | 223 |
| 2021 | 247 |
| 2022 | 251 |
| 2023 | 246 |
| 2024 | 217 |
The 2024 total was the lowest in a decade. New York’s fatal injury rate fell from 2.8 to 2.4 per 100,000 full-time workers. When a workplace death was caused by a property owner, contractor, driver or equipment maker, the family may be able to bring a wrongful death claim against that party.
When someone other than your employer is responsible
New York law generally does not allow a lawsuit against your own employer for an on-the-job injury. It does allow claims against other parties whose negligence caused the injury. Common examples include:
- Property owners and general contractors on construction sites, under the Labor Law sections above.
- Subcontractors whose crews created the hazard.
- Drivers who hit you while you were driving, delivering or working near traffic.
- Owners of the property where you were working, such as a delivery stop, a client’s home or a store.
- Manufacturers of defective ladders, scaffolds, forklifts, power tools or safety gear.
- Security or maintenance companies responsible for keeping a site safe.
Often, yes. You usually cannot sue your own employer, but you may have a claim against the property owner, the general contractor or another subcontractor. New York’s Scaffold Law makes owners and contractors responsible for many falls from height.
It depends on what caused the injury. A negligent driver, an unsafe property or defective equipment can each create a claim against someone other than your employer.
We estimate between 10,000 and 12,000 across Ulster, Dutchess and Orange counties, based on federal injury rates and Census employment data.
How we estimated these numbers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish injury counts by county or town. We multiplied 2023 U.S. Census employment by industry for each county and town by the national injury rate for that industry. Totals are the sum of the industry estimates. BLS reports that New York private employers recorded 1.9 injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in 2024, below the national rate of 2.3, so these estimates are likely on the high side. Fatality figures come from the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for New York, released March 2026.
Hurt on a job site or on the road for work? Mainetti & Mainetti has offices in Kingston, Poughkeepsie and New Windsor. Contact us or call 845-600-0000 for a free consultation.