Saturday, May 9, 2015

WORKER KILLED IN ATTEMPT TO JUMP FROM STALLED LIFT ON NYC JOBSITE




MAY 7, 2015

A worker on a crew building a luxury hotel in New York City was killed Tuesday when he fell 24 stories down an elevator shaft.

According to a report from the New York Daily News, 25-year-old Christian Ginesi and one other worker were attempting to install an elevator door frame at the Riu Hotel Times Square when their lift car stalled 5 feet above the landing of the 24th floor.

The paper reports that the two men decided to jump from the stalled car to the landing. The other worker made it safely, but when Ginesi attempted the jump, he lost his footing and fell down the shaft.

Rescue workers pulled him from the base of the shaft and rushed him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead about 45 minutes after the fall.

City officials issued a stop work order after the incident and, “slapped the elevator subcontractor, G-Tech Associates, with a Class 1 violation for failure to safeguard workers,” the paper reports.

Falls are the number one cause of death in the construction industry. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is encouraging contractors and construction firms to participate in the upcoming fall prevention safety stand-down May 4-15.

///-----/////


Worker dies after falling 24 stories down elevator shaft at NYC hotel under construction: police sources

Published: Tuesday, May 5, 2015

A construction worker fell 24 stories down an elevator shaft to his death Tuesday in a half-built Manhattan luxury hotel.

The doomed worker, identified by police sources as Christian Ginesi, and a colleague had been installing elevator door frames when the car they were riding in suddenly stalled five feet above the 24th floor landing.

Ginesi’s co-worker was able to jump safely to the landing, according to city Buildings Department report.

But when Ginesi tried, he lost his footing and toppled backward down the shaft, the report stated.

The worker who fell down an elevator shaft at the Riu Hotel Times Square construction site was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. at Bellevue Hospital.
Ginesi fell around 12:40 p.m. and was pulled by rescue workers from the base of the shaft in the unfinished building’s cellar about 20 minutes later, police said.

Witnesses said the 25-year-old Jersey City man was bleeding from the face as he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where police said he died at 1:26 p.m.
“That’s not good,” a shaken veteran construction worker said. “We were getting lunch. We try to be safe, but things happen.”

The city issued an immediate stop work order Tuesday at the hotel site and slapped the elevator subcontractor, G-Tech Associates, with a Class 1 violation for failure to safeguard workers.

Records show G-Tech is run by Dominick Glenn and his son, Brock, neither of whom could be reached for comment.

“They run a tight ship and they do good work,” said a Manhattan contractor who has worked with them before.

“They're nice guys,” added a construction manager who also declined to give his name. “It’s a father and son team, Brock and his father Dominick. I've had only good experiences with them.”

The accident happened at what will be the 600-room RIU-Hotel Times Square, a gleaming 29 to 31 story tower at 301 W. 46th St. near Eighth Ave.

The hotel is owned by the Spanish hospitality firm Riu Hotels & Resorts, based on the island of Mallorca, and was supposed to be built this summer.
This was not the first time a worker fell at the site.

In July 2013, the Buildings Department shut it down after answering a complaint about a worker falling three stories.

Inspectors found floor openings without the required railings and cited the owner for unsafe work conditions.

The DOB did not divulge how badly hurt the worker was.
Construction resumed a few days later. But in May 2014 and then again in September of that year, inspectors found more unsafe conditions — scaffolding without the proper support, and a worker without the proper safety training certification from OSHA.

The Rinaldi Group LLC, which is the general contractor, has since defaulted on answering two violations and paying $16,000 and fines, records show.
"They’re cooperating with authorities and their heart goes out to the family," Bradley Gerstman, an attorney for The Rinaldi Group, insisted.