Construction Worker Dies After Fall from Scaffolding in Brooklyn

According to multiple media sources, a construction worker was killed in a fall inside the old Domino Sugar factory in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday morning.

Dozens of Complaints Filed Against Building

Wilfredo Enriques, 59, a carpenter working for PG Products of New York, was putting up a facade at the old factory building at 325 Kent Avenue when tragedy struck. Enriques was working on the sixth floor when he fell off scaffolding down to the fourth floor at around 8:00 a.m. local time.

Media sources report that Enriques suffered from severe head trauma and was taken to Woodhull Medical Center. Enriques would later be pronounced dead.

Work at the site of a new multi-use development has been halted as the workplace accident is investigated, reports media outlets. The New York Department of Buildings is investigating the incident. The safety administration overseeing the project says they are investigating into the dozens of complaints the building has received, including issues regarding scaffolding and no overhead protection.

On the Job Accident Statistics

The following information is provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):

• 4,821 workers died on the job in 2014.
• Fatal falls accounted for 359 construction worker fatalities in 2014. The “Fatal Four” leading causes of private sector worker deaths are:
  • Falls – 359 out of 899 total deaths in construction in 2014 (39.9%)
  • Electrocutions – 74 (8.2%)
  • Struck by Object – 73 (8.1%)
  • Caught-in/between – 39 (4.3%)
• Fatal work injuries involving contractors accounted for 17 percent of all fatal work injuries in 2014.
• 804 Hispanic or Latino workers died from work-related injuries in 2014 – this average to more than 15 deaths a week.