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
| Dec 5, 2011
RJM Construction begins building Nova Classical Academy in St. Paul
As the general contractor, RJM is constructing the 94,000-sf building that will consolidate the St. Paul school’s two other locations.
| Dec 5, 2011
Gables Residential brings mixed-use building to Houston's Tanglewood area
The design integrates a detailed brick and masonry facade, acknowledging the soft pastel color palette of the surrounding Mediterranean heritage of Tanglewood.
| Dec 5, 2011
SchenkelShultz Architecture designs Dr. Phillips Charities Headquarters building in Orlando
The building incorporates sustainable architectural features, environmentally friendly building products, energy-efficient systems, and environmentally-sensitive construction practices.
| Dec 2, 2011
What are you waiting for? BD+C's 2012 40 Under 40 nominations are due Friday, Jan. 20
Nominate a colleague, peer, or even yourself. Applications available here.
| Dec 2, 2011
Legrand joins White House initiative to spur energy efficiency in commercial buildings
Company agrees to aggressive energy savings and reporting.
| Dec 2, 2011
Goody Clancy awarded Ohio State residential project
The project, which is focused on developing a vibrant on-campus community of learning for OSU undergraduates.
| Dec 1, 2011
Nauset Construction breaks ground on Massachusetts health care center
The $20 million project is scheduled to be completed by December 2012.
| Dec 1, 2011
Ground broken on first LEED Platinum designed school house built by volunteers
Phoenix public school receives the generous gift of a state-of-the-art building for student and community use.
| Dec 1, 2011
VLK Architects’ office receives LEED certification
The West 7th development, which houses the firm’s office, was designed to be LEED for Core & Shell, which gave VLK the head start on finishing out the area for LEED Silver Certification CI.
