Twenty-two New York City-area groups including trade unions, the District Attorney's office and general contractor representatives, have asked the judge in a case concerning a construction worker’s death to impose the maximum penalty on the contractor.
Harco Construction was found guilty of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and reckless endangerment in the death of Carlos Moncayo. The 22-year-old worker died when an improperly shored-up excavation collapsed at one of the company's job sites.
The Manhattan district attorney is seeking a $35,000 fine and for Harco to pay for a worker safety print and TV campaign in English and Spanish. Representatives from an organization of New York union construction managers and contractors, the Building Trade Employers' Association, said they were "sick and tired" of lawbreaking construction companies "defining the public perception of how serious and important public and worker safety is to them," according to DNA Info.
Harco's attorneys had argued that the company could not be held accountable because they had no direct employees on the site other than a superintendent, and they could not fire the employees of the subcontractor responsible for the excavation, DNA Info reported.
Related Stories
| May 13, 2014
Libeskind wins competition to design Canadian National Holocaust Monument
A design team featuring Daniel Libeskind and Gail Dexter-Lord has won a competition with its design for the Canadian National Holocaust Monument in Toronto. The monument is set to open in the autumn of 2015.
| May 11, 2014
8 starter questions to answer when thinking about building
So, are you ready to start building? Completing these eight questions will help you answer that confidently. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 8, 2014
Don’t bother planning for the future - it doesn’t care about you
Though strategic planning has helped many businesses move forward, its time has passed. So says Economist and Author Bill Conerly. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 8, 2014
Infographic: 4 most common causes of construction site fatalities
In honor of Safety Week, Skanska put together this nifty infographic on how to prevent deadly harm in construction.
| May 6, 2014
'Beyond' is artist's cinematic take on 2.5 years of development in the UAE
Seven-minute video offers a time-lapse trip through the built environments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
| May 6, 2014
'Ugliest building in New Jersey' finally getting facelift
After a decade of false starts and mishaps, the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands may finally get built.
| May 5, 2014
Toronto residential tower to feature drawer-like facade scheme
Some of the apartments in the new River City development will protrude from the building at different lengths, creating a drawer-like "push-pull" effect.
| May 2, 2014
Structure Tone pleads guilty to charge of arranging inflated subcontractor bills
Construction giant will pay a $55 million forfeiture after pleading guilty to a charge of arranging inflated subcontractor fees.
| May 2, 2014
Norwegian modular project set to be world's tallest timber-frame apartment building [slideshow]
A 14-story luxury apartment block in central Bergen, Norway, will be the world's tallest timber-framed multifamily project, at 49 meters (160 feet).
