Man killed by equipment in Port of Rensselaer plant
State, federal officials notified of death at Empire Generating Co.
By Lindsay Ellis
Updated 9:42 pm, Friday, June 17, 2016
Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN
Firefighters and law enforcement personnel rally outside the main building at the Empire Generation plant in the Port of Albany after an industrial fatality Friday June 17, 2016 in Rensselaer , N.Y. (Skip ... more
Rensselaer, New York
A worker for a subcontractor performing routine maintenance was killed Friday when a cooling fan fell on him at the Empire Generating Co. power plant, authorities said.
Rensselaer Police Deputy Chief Jim Frankoski said the victim worked for maintenance rigging subcontractor 3D Rigging and Construction, Inc. Two other maintenance employees were present but unhurt.
Rensselaer police were called at 8:30 a.m. and asked Albany police and fire departments to help in a rescue effort. But authorities soon determined the victim was dead, Frankoski said. A crane lowered his body from the top of the structure at about 10:45 a.m.
Frankoski said he was not sure how far the equipment fell.
"The fan dropped lower than it should have and caught him," Frankoski said. He did not identify the victim but estimated he was in his late 40s or early 50s.
Frankoski said he was not sure if parts of the plant, at 75 Riverside Ave., would be shut down following the fatality.
In a statement, Empire Generating Co. plant manager Sean Spain said the company has alerted the state Department of Public Service about the death. 3D Rigging, according to the statement, has notified OSHA. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials did not immediately return requests for comment Friday.
"The thoughts and prayers of the Empire Generating employees are with the family, friends and coworkers of the deceased worker," Spain said in the statement.
Managers at 3D Rigging were not immediately available for comment, a person who answered the business's phone early Friday afternoon said.
Empire Generating Co. owns a Rensselaer power plant with a seasonal weighted capacity of 645 megawatts, according to its website. It began selling power to the state electrical grid in 2010.
3D Rigging's state registration as a woman-owned business describes it as a Glenmont company that works in rigging, industrial maintenance and custom fabrication.