14.01.2008

Fatality on trump tower

A construction worker was killed today after falling from a formwork scaffold which collapsed after a crane dumped a load of concrete onto it at the Trump SoHo hotel and condominium tower under construction in Manhattan, New York.
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The collapsed scaffold

It was unclear how far the dead man fell, but initial police estimates said the distance was at least 10 metres. A second worker fell several stories into some netting, and was rescued, with injuries.
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One of the buildings cranes was used to recover the fallen men

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The tower is going up 46 floors

The main contractor for the site is Bovis Lend Lease, the tower which will rise 46 storeys, is being developed by the Trump Organisation, the Bayrock Group and the Sapir Organization.
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A view from further back

Bovis spokeswoman Mary Costello released a statement saying that the company was conducting its own investigation with the concrete subcontractor while working with local authorities to determine the cause.

"Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased concrete worker, and our prayers are with the injured workers," the statement said.

Manhattan orough president Scott Stringer said the site was issued two high-risk violations on Oct. 26, one for "operating a crane in an unsafe manner" and the other for "failing to safeguard public property affected by construction operation."

The city's Environmental Control Board is due to hold a hearing on the pending violations on Jan. 24 according to Stringer.

"Why we are allowing this crane to operate when there's been no resolution to this violation, I find very troubling," said Stringer.

After Monday's accident, the buildings department issued at least four violations to Bovis Lend Lease, including failing to safeguard the public and property, maintain adequate housekeeping and provide a fire escape hatch and adequate fire extinguishers.

The department had already issued 11 violations, eight of them to Bovis, since workers started at the site in May 2007. The violations included operating a crane in an unsafe manner and failing to close the sidewalk before hoisting loads above the sidewalk.