The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $464,600 in fines over two contractors' safety lapses at the Deutsche Bank building. Contractor Bovis Lend Lease, which had been retained by the state government, and its former subcontractor John Galt Corporation had been dismantling the building when a seven-alarm fire, caused by a worker's smoking, broke out last August. Two firefighters died during the blaze, it was revealed pieces of the standpipe (which lets water for firefighters......

The tragic death of a construction worker at the Trump Soho building has put the spotlight on the spotty history of a contractor on the project. On Monday afternoon, a worker, Yuriy Vanchytskyy (pictured below), fell 42 stories to his death when the molds he and other workers were pouring concrete into broke, causing a collapse into lower floors. The NY Times notes that another worker, also working for subcontractor DiFama Concrete, died when he......

Yesterday morning, a worker died after falling inside a tanker at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The FDNY says that Arturo Medina lost his footing when climbing down a 50 foot ladder on the ship's hull. The only way into the hull is through an 18 inch hole, so rescue crews had to create a pulley system to lift Medina out. Medina died later at Brooklyn Hospital Center. The NY Times reports that this is the......

Lawsuits claiming hostile work environments have now hit the gym. A group of janitors claim that while working at Equinox fitness club locations, the Post excitedly details, they were "exposed inappropriate, lewd, embarrassing and humiliating sexual behavior and activities occurring in the showers, saunas, steam and [men's] locker rooms." The group of janitors say had to clean up after encounters at the Columbus Circle, TriBeCa, East 63rd Street, Wall Street, and Greenwich Avenue locations. And......

Twenty-nine workers died in construction accidents in New York during the 12 months ending September 30, marking a 61% increase over the previous year and a 5-year high, according to OSHA and the NYC Dept. of Buildings. Over half of the victims fell to their death, while falling material was the second most fatal cause. Non-union, immigrant workers employed by small contractors suffered worst. The Manhattan director for OSHA decried the lax safety enforcement......

Surprise, surprise, a government agency tasked to work on something September 11-related will not do what they set out to do but actually do something that's much less involving. A capsule history as gleaned from the NY Times: The EPA has spent the past four years mostly testing air and talking about what "contaminated" air really contains. There has been some cleaning, but not enough which provoked Senator Hillary Clinton to get the EPA to......