Two ironworkers who fell to their deaths at a Manhattan renovation project Feb. 8 had been standing on a beam that moved unexpectedly, says a spokesman for the New York City Dept. of Buildings.
The two workers, Brett McEnroe and Roy Powell, were employed by Cross County Contracting, Pine Bush, N.Y. They were installing steel in an elevator shaft at 150 West 83rd Street on the fifth level of a garage that was being converted into a recreation building for the Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
F.J. Sciame, the project’s general contractor, released a statement indicating that the company had immediately reported the incident to city officials.
Sciame said in its statement that the company is “fully cooperating with the investigation and extends its deepest sympathy to the families of the men who lost their lives.”
A spokesman for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says the agency is investigating the accident.
“When an accident is fatal, the investigation is very thorough,” says the spokesman. “It might not take a full six months but it will take at least a few months to complete [the investigation].”
It is also unclear whether the two ironworkers were wearing safety harnesses.
Sciame noted in its statement that the workers had been employed by Weir Welding, Carlstadt, N.J. But an employee of Weir Welding said the workers were actually employed by Cross County Contracting.
-Carolina Worrell
