Last summer, when a fire killed two firefighters at lower Manhattan’s Deutsche Bank tower, general contractor Bovis Lend Lease and subcontractor the Galt Company were responsible for the post-9/11 demolition of the building. These contractors have been accused by federal OSHA regulators with committing a total of 44 safety violations occurring in the four days preceding the fire. Regulators have suggested fining the companies a total of $464,500. Most of the 44 violations–which focused on fire-related hazards–were designated as serious (that is, likely to result in death or serious bodily harm and about which the employer knew or should have known), and five were designated as willful (committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee health and safety)–the most extreme category of violation. Both companies have said they will fight the citations. The Galt Company was fired from the project in the days following the fire; Galt had never handled such a project before and city investigators had been against using the subcontractor even before the fire brought serious problems to light. Bovis will continue on the project with a newly-hired subcontractor, LVI Environmental Services. See related story. Accusations have also been raised that agencies responsible for overseeing the project failed to inspect and exercise proper oversight. The Manhattan district attorney’s office is also conducting a criminal investigation.
For the full story, go to the New York Times.
