A New Jersey hardhat, who spent over 20 years as a construction worker, is dead after falling off scaffolding at a New York worksite. The 59-year-old man was working at the Domino Sugar Factor construction site last Friday morning when the accident happened.
At approximately 8 a.m., the worker fell two stories and came to rest on a fourth floor ledge. According to officials from the Department of Buildings, the man had a harness on, but his harness had not been tied off. In other words, it hadn’t been clipped in place to actually prevent him from falling.
Fellow worker who witnessed the fall described the tragedy in detail. They said that the man had been installing facade on behalf of subcontractors at the time, and when he fell, he suffered severe head injuries that led to his death.
The man’s brother, who received a call from the hospital later that morning, said that his brother was a hard-working man who didn’t have a single vice. He said he was a responsible person. The man said that he and his brother moved to the United States from Ecuador about 30 years ago and that his brother was planning to retire soon. According to the owner of the construction company that employed the worker, the man had been a dedicated friend and employee to him for the last 10 years.
Union supporters have been demanding that the Domino Sugar site only employ union workers. Some believe that unionized construction workers are safer and their employers are stricter about ensuring that Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety standards are adhered to. Others say that the safety risks are the same.
Whenever a New Jersey construction worker loses his or her life on the job, the individual’s close family members may be able to seek workers’ compensation death benefits. Death benefits can help immediate family members pay for end of life expenses and cover other living costs during their time of mourning.
Source: DNA Info, “Worker Dies in 2-Story Fall at Domino Sugar Factory Building Site: NYPD,” Gwynne Hogan, Dec. 09, 2016
