MEC&F Expert Engineers : CONSTRUCTION WORKER DIES AFTER 15 FOOT FALL FROM UNSAFE SCAFFOLDING IN BRONX, NEW YORK

Friday, May 15, 2015

CONSTRUCTION WORKER DIES AFTER 15 FOOT FALL FROM UNSAFE SCAFFOLDING IN BRONX, NEW YORK






THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015

BRONX, NEW YORK

Dominick Deluca, 54, was pronounced dead at Bronx Lebanon Hospital on Wednesday, after suffering serious head trauma in a fall as he landed on his head after falling 15 feet.

A construction worker fell to his death from second-story scaffolding in the Bronx on Wednesday, cops said.

Dominick Deluca, 54, of Dover, N.J. was doing façade work at the Butler Houses just after 8 a.m. on Webster Ave. in Claremont, according to police.

Deluca tragically lost his footing and fell about 15 feet, landing on his head, sources said.

Responding officers found him unresponsive and suffering from serious head trauma.

Emergency Services rushed Deluca to Bronx Lebanon Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, cops said.

The Department of Buildings issued a violation against the city-owned building on Wednesday after a complaint was made that the scaffolding “does not meet building safety code standards,” records show.

Under New York Labor Law, any elevation difference requires full safety precautions.  The Labor Law section 240(1) also imposes strict liability upon the Owner and General Contractor on the job for injuries arising out of elevation hazards.

Section 240(1) Scaffold, Ladder and Working at a Height Statute: This statute governs all premises’ owners and contractors, except owners of one- and two-family dwellings. It protects employees from special hazards related to height when engaged in the erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning, or pointing of a building or structure.

Falls are the number one cause of death in the construction industry. 

Contractors and construction firms around the country are currently participating in fall prevention safety stand-downs which began May 4 and conclude today.