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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
OSHA News Release: [10/10/2002]
Contact Name: Frank
Meilinger
Phone Number: (202) 693-1999
Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao on
the Indictment of the President of Tri-State Scaffolding in New York
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao issued the
following statement today:
“This indictment is a strong message to employers and employees
alike that violations of worker protection laws will not be tolerated. The
deaths and injuries suffered by the workers in last October’s incident
were a preventable tragedy and a stark reminder that there are still dangerous
workplaces in this country, including ones where Hispanic and other immigrant
workers are employed. We are determined to take whatever steps are necessary to
ensure that safety and health protections for all workers are vigorously
enforced.”
In addition, U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Gordon S.
Heddell issued the following statement:
“A willful disregard for the safety and health of workers is an
intolerable offense. Through our criminal investigations program, the Office of
the Inspector General will assist the Department in vigorously investigating
and seeking the prosecution of employers and companies that blatantly place
workers in harm’s way.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today Robert M. Morgenthau, Manhattan’s
District Attorney, unsealed a criminal indictment against Phil Minucci,
President of Tri-State Scaffolding & Equipment Supplies, Inc., for five
counts of Manslaughter in the Second Degree and four counts of Assault in the
Second Degree. Five workers died and four more were injured in the accident,
which took place on October 24, 2001 at 210 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, in
a building that was undergoing restoration. Nesa, Inc. was the general
contractor on the project; Tri-State Scaffolding was hired by Nesa, Inc. to
build the scaffolding; and New Millennium was hired by a DPA, a subcontractor
of Nesa, Inc., to perform the demolition and restoration work.
In April of this year, OSHA issued citations against Tri-State and the
two other contractors for improperly erected scaffolding and failure to train
workers on the hazards of working with scaffolding The citations against
Tri-State Scaffolding were two willful and four serious violations, with a
penalty of $146,600, for erection of a scaffold that violated scaffold safety
rules; for erecting a scaffold not designed by a professional engineer; and
other violations of scaffolding and worker protection rules.
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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
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