[Photo from Dec. 24]
On Dec. 24, a partial building collapse at 356 E. Eighth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D led to the death of a worker, as we first reported here.
As far as we know, no other media outlet covered this tragedy. According to a reader, Alberto Pomboza, an undocumented worker from Ecuador, died after he fell from the third to the first floor in the townhouse undergoing a gut renovation.
An EVG reader who lives on the block reports that the NYPD is clearing the street ahead of an appearance this morning by the Mayor who will apparently address what happened here...
Updated 2:20 p.m.
[Photo via @zmack]
The Mayor was on the scene this morning to announce this new enforcement sweep... via the Mayor's office...
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler today announced that they will quadruple the penalties for serious construction-safety lapses, conduct a wave of more than 1,500 enforcement sweeps, and require new supervision at construction sites citywide to protect workers and the public amid the record building boom.
To make sure builders cannot profit by skirting safety rules, the City is raising the penalties for serious safety lapses from $2,400 to $10,000, and the penalty for lacking a construction superintendent will increase from $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000. Construction has surged more than 300 percent since 2009, contributing more jobs and more housing to New York City, but leading to an increase in preventable construction-related injuries and fatalities.
Updated 5:10 p.m.
DNAinfo has a piece on the city's inspection blitz here.
They also have more details about the worker who died here.
The worker, 33-year-old Luis Alberto Pomboza, was working on the renovation of 356 East 8th St. when he fell from the third to first floor, according to records from the Department of Buildings.
Pomboza — an undocumented Ecuadorian immigrant and father of five — was transported to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition with trauma to the head and face but later died of his injuries, according to the NYPD and Medical Examiner’s Office.
Updated 8 p.m.
Gothamist has a report here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Reader report: Partial building collapse on East 8th Street; unconfirmed report of a fatality
5 comments:
Prediction: once again, the city administration will fail to punish criminal landlords amd contractors who use illegal and unsafe labor to pursue illegal and unsafe construction projects.
Too bad they don't go after them the way they went after Occupy Wall Street.
If they follow up on the Updated information, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Living around the block this renovation and expansion could readily be seen as a fly-by-night construction job. However over the years there are many construction jobs going on or finished that have been safe and without incident in the area. The Developer his or her qualifications along with that of the General Contractor need to be scrutinized more carefully.
The DOB needs to be a LOT better at basically everything, than it is. Better policies, inspection, enforcement. You can't have a construction-mad city without tight oversight.
Or, you can -- leading to what we've got: too much shoddy, unregulated construction, and injury and death of the expendables. Everything and everyone suffers. Even sometimes the rich, who live in expensive new construction that ALSO sucks!
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