The worker was installing masonry around the shaft of an unfinished stairwell. He was trying to pry loose a wood plank with a crowbar when the accident occurred.He fell nine feet in the shaft of the yet-to-be-installed stairway and landed on his head in the basement. He was rushed to the hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The worker wasn’t wearing any fall protection equipment and no guardrails were installed around the shaft way.
The NYC Department of Buildings issued a Stop Worker Order and the contractor, AVO Construction LLC was slapped with several violations. The construction site has a history of violations and had a stop order issued last October as well.
Fall is the number one factor in construction worker injuries and death in New York and in the US. Most of them, including the one that occurred on this site could have been prevented if the contractor would have complied with legal safety standards which include making sure that workers use fall protection and installing adequate protection around open shafts. Failure to proprely guard shafts such as this is a violation of the New York State Industrial Code (12NYCRR, Part 23).
Read more in the NY Daily News
Picture of the site prior to construction courtesy of Google Map