DOB Investigating Fatal Crane Accident on Union Site

Death occurred in Staten Island last month
April 04, 2017 10:15AM

The city’s Department of Buildings is investigating a crane accident that killed a construction worker on a union site in Staten Island last month.
Antonio Veloso, 54, was struck and killed by a load that fell off a crane at 356 Meredith Avenue on March 10, the New York Post reported. Veloso, a Portuguese immigrant, was a member of the Laborers International Union Local 1010.

Construction safety has been a hot-button issue in the city, as the number of construction-related deaths and injuries has climbed over the last few years. The issue has largely revolved around the safety of union sites versus those run by nonunion shops. The Building & Construction Trades Council has repeatedly pointed out that a majority of the construction-related deaths in the city in the past two years have occurred on non-union sites.

The Empire State Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, which represents nonunion contractors, noted that there was less public outrage over the Staten Island accident, which occurred on a union site.

“We believe this fatality may have resulted from extreme negligence by contractors that failed to secure the necessary permits for operating dangerous equipment and operating an active construction site,” Brian Sampson, president of ABC, wrote in a letter to DOB Commissioner Rick Chandler. [NYP] — Kathryn Brenzel

This article first appeared in The Real Deal