A 20-foot section of a brick retaining wall came down in the Bronx, along the Cross Bronx Expressway

Retaining wall collapse stalls traffic on Cross Bronx, Major Deegan





Jim Dolan has the latest details.

Eyewitness News
Updated 28 mins ago
HIGHBRIDGE, Bronx (WABC) -- Workers are securing a wall along the Cross Bronx Expressway, following a partial collapse on Thursday.

A 20-foot section of the brick retaining wall came down in the Bronx, stalling traffic on two major highways and impacting the evening commute.

The incident happened around 1:20 p.m. on the ramp from the Cross Bronx Expressway to the Major Deegan Expressway in the High Bridge section.

The westbound exit ramp had to be closed so that crews could clean up the scene.



No injuries were reported, but traffic was backed up for miles.

Firefighters took down pieces of brick that may have been in danger of collapsing.

The Office of Emergency Management said the New York City Department of Transportation was awaiting the New York State DOT, who will be handling demolition of the remaining facade after the Bridges Division determined it must be taken down.

There are no concerns regarding the interior wall infrastructure. There is no ETA on when repairs will be complete or when the ramp will reopen.

a Bobcat machine fell through the roof of the National Wholesale Liquidators store on Central Park Avenue

Investigation uncovers permit violations at site of Yonkers roof collapse





By Jim Hoffer
Updated 2 hrs 59 mins ago
YONKERS, New York (WABC) -- An Eyewitness News investigations has uncovered new information in a roof collapse that injured five people at the Cross County Mall in Yonkers Wednesday.

Authorities say a Bobcat machine fell through the roof of the National Wholesale Liquidators store on Central Park Avenue, with the Yonkers Fire Department calling it a "major roof collapse."

Our investigation has been able to uncover what appears to be at least two permit violations that occurred at the site. We can confirm that when work began, the building owner did have a permit to do the work. But that permit was violated by failing to inform the city of Yonkers that work was about to get underway on the roof, which had been closed for years.

A spokesperson for the city says that notification was a requirement of the permit so that an inspector could check the roof work site before the construction began. The permit placed a weight restriction of no more than 4,500 pounds of equipment on the roof.

We've also learned it is likely that the heavy lifter that fell 30 feet weighed at least a ton more than the permit allowed, at around 7,000 pounds.

The machine operator, a passenger, and four people in the store were hurt, though all the injuries were considered minor

Te contractor, Maarv Concrete Restoration out of New Jersey, had four OSHA safety violations in the last 10 years.

Neither the building owner nor the contractor has yet been cited for any violations, in part because city inspectors have been unable to access the building site that remains unstable.

We are been told violations are pending as the investigation continues.

Kempf Construction, a Sioux Falls excavating contractor, fined for five serious safety violations after a 40-year-old equipment operator suffered severe injuries while working in a 16-foot-deep trench

U.S. Department of Labor

January 12, 2017

OSHA cites Sioux Falls company after 40-year-old equipment operator
suffers serious injuries in trench cave-in at Brandon work site
More than 22 killed in trench incidents in 2016

Employer name:

Kempf Construction Inc.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Citations issued: Jan. 9, 2017

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Kempf Construction, a Sioux Falls excavating contractor, for five serious safety violations after the agency's investigators found a 40-year-old equipment operator suffered severe injuries while working in a 16-foot-deep trench on Oct. 28, 2016. A large amount of dirt fell into a trench box in which the man was working and collapsed upon him. The worker was installing sewer lines at a site in Brandon, South Dakota.

OSHA found Kempf Construction failed to:

• Protect employees working in a trench.
• Failed to slope sides of trench in accordance with OSHA standards.
• Properly place a ladder used to access the trench box.
• Remove employees from the trench when hazardous conditions were apparent.
• Provide sanitary facilities on the job site.

Quote: "Kempf Construction's failure to adhere to OSHA standards to protect workers in trenches has resulted in debilitating injuries to this man. They will likely affect him and his ability to make a living for the rest of his life. In 2016, more than two dozen workers were injured and at least 22 killed in trenches nationwide. Trench deaths have more than doubled since 2015. This is an alarming trend that must be halted," said Sheila Stanley, OSHA's area director in Sioux Falls. "Excavating companies need to re-examine their safety procedures to ensure they are taking all available precautions - including installing trench boxes, shoring and other means to prevent unexpected shifts in the soil that can cause walls to collapse."

Background: OSHA has a national emphasis program on trenching and excavations. Trenching standards require protective systems in trenches deeper than 5 feet, and soil and other materials kept at least two feet from the edge of trench.

Proposed Penalties: $40,538.

View Citations here.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Sioux Falls Area Office at 605-251-2021.

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Polo Masonry Builders Inc. fined $77K after workers seen performing masonry work on a Chicago building at heights up to 40 feet without adequate fall protection

U.S. Department of Labor


January 12, 2017

Masonry contractor continues to expose workers to fall hazards
OSHA inspector observes workers atop 4-story building without fall protection

CHICAGO, Ill. - Federal safety inspectors saw seven employees of a Park Ridge contractor performing masonry work on a Chicago building at heights up to 40 feet without adequate fall protection and have issued citations to the company. The company committed similar violations in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Polo Masonry Builders Inc. two repeated and eight serious safety and health violations after inspectors observed the workers on Sept. 16, 2016, atop a four-story building. The company faces $77,606 in proposed penalties.

"No employee should ever be working at heights over 6 feet without adequate fall protection," said Angeline Loftus, OSHA's area director at its Chicago North office in Des Plaines. "Workers can easily be protected from falls by the use of harnesses and other fall protection devices. Employers must remember that falls are the leading cause of death among construction industry workers."


As the construction industry continues to grow, falls continue to be the leading cause of death. Source: http://www.bls.gov

Inspectors also found the company exposed workers to:

• Fall hazards through unprotected floor holes and wall openings, lack of stair rails and from scaffold platforms that were not supported by outriggers and bracing.
• Impalement hazards from unprotected rebar.
• Unguarded belt and pulley drive of a mortar mixer.
• Chemical hazards by failing to provide hand and eye protection.

View current citations safety and health citations.

Federal safety and health officials are determined to reduce preventable, fall-related deaths is the leading cause among construction industry workers. Falls account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the construction industry. OSHA offers a Stop Falls online resource with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page provides fact sheets, posters and videos that illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures. OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection be in use when workers perform construction activities 6 feet or more above the next lower level and 10 feet or more on scaffolding.

The ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign was developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program. Begun in 2012, the campaign provides employers with lifesaving information and educational materials on how to prevent falls, provide the right equipment for workers and train employees to use gear properly.

Polo Masonry Builders has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines at 847-803-4800.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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