Before the Mass, more than 1,000 workers in hardhats gathered as bagpipes were played outside the Fifth Avenue cathedral.
Construction supervisor Ralph DiDonato, says he's had to go to three funerals in a single week. As he puts it: "Construction workers are the tightest crew when it comes for caring for people."
Workers Memorial Day is held annually to commemorate the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. But city construction workers have never held a Mass of their own before.
The city has ordered a review of high-risk construction practices; the buildings commissioner resigned last week.
