The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation into the construction accident that resulted in the death of a 21-year-old worker on November 13, 2020 determined that Everest Scaffolding Inc., a company located in the Bronx, failed to ensure workers’ safety. The anti-fall safety belt is installed as required.

Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, and as Norwood News recently reported, the deaths of the 21-year-old and others sadly illustrate this fact. The worker involved in the case as the subject of the federal investigation installed a supporting tubular welded frame scaffold during the construction of the seven-story building in Brooklyn, and he fell nearly 50 feet.

Kay Gee, OSHA Regional Director in Manhattan, said: “If Everest Scaffolding provided proper training on fall hazards and ensured that workers used fall protection devices correctly, this tragedy could have been avoided.”

OSHA proposes a fine of $300,370 for two deliberate and two serious security violations. The agency found that the company:

– Failed to evaluate the feasibility of using fall protection devices, and failed to use feasible fall protection devices during the erection of supporting scaffolding;

– Failure to properly train employees on the fall hazards associated with scaffolding work;

– Failure to check the fall protection system before use;

– It is not determined whether the fixed point of the employee's personal fall arrest system can support at least 5,000 pounds.

You can view the citation by clicking the link.

Everest Scaffolding Inc., located at 1150 Longwood Avenue, Soundview District, Bronx, has challenged OSHA's findings with the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Board. Norwood News contacted the company more than once for comments. We did not receive a reply immediately.

A post on the company’s website stated, “Due to founder and president Christopher “Jimmy” Downes’ reputation for safety and quality, Everest Scaffolding, Inc. won its first project on April 4, 2005.”

It continued, “Our mission is to ensure safety and quality from the first contact with sidewalk bridges, cranes and/or pipe scaffolding proposals to ordering quality materials and hiring only OSHA and 32-hour card-holder employees. Everest has an AM of A Best rated insurance, which is achieved due to the safety record of Mount Everest."

According to its website, most of the company's projects appear to be in Manhattan, including some high-profile projects such as the Empire State Building and businesses on the Intrepid.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers have the responsibility to provide their employees with a safe and healthy workplace. The role of OSHA is to ensure that such safety conditions are met to protect construction workers. According to the agency, it does this by setting and implementing standards, as well as providing training, education and assistance. Learn more about OSHA.

At the same time, following a series of other construction-related falls (including one recently reported by Norwood News in the South Bronx), the New York City Department of Architecture announced on Tuesday, June 1 that it would The district deploys a team of DOB law enforcement inspectors to clean up the "larger and more complex construction sites in cities" to ensure the safety of workers and the public.

Welcome to Norwood News, a biweekly community newspaper serving the Northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information from these communities, but aim to report as much of the Bronx-related news as possible. Norwood News was founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a non-profit affiliate of the Montefiore Medical Center. It was originally a monthly magazine and developed into a biweekly magazine in 1994. In September 2003, the newspaper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all communities in the community area. 7. Norwood News exists to promote communication between citizens and organizations and become a tool for community development work. Norwood News operates the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. When you browse this website, if you find any faults or have any suggestions, please let us know. We would be happy to hear from you. You can send an email to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us at (718) 324-4998 at any time.

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A pop-up window with more user information can reduce your overall construction costs and prevent litigation costs and attorney fees by providing your employees with appropriate safety training. According to local laws, there are 196 workers in New York City who need to complete a certain amount of safety training time. The easiest way for workers to receive 40 hours of training is to complete the 30-hour OSHA training program, https://www.ablesafety.com/course/8-hour-fall-prevention-online, and a 2-hour drug and alcohol awareness course (online)

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