Fatal Staten Island Roof Collapse Could Have Been Avoided: OSHA

A demolition worker’s death at a Staten Island car dealership could have been avoided if his employer had complied with federal safety rules, according to findings by Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors.

Delfino Jesus Velazquez Mendizabal, 43, died Nov. 28 after a concrete roof at the dealership on a service road off the Shore Expressway partially collapsed.

The OSHA investigation found that Formica Construction disregarded several safety protocols that could have prevented the collapse, including failing to determine the building’s stability, to conduct inspections to identify safety hazards, to train its employees to recognize hazards and to keep a records of on-the-job injuries and illnesses.

Investigators said the construction company also ignored safety regulations by removing load-supporting sections of walls and floors of the building before upper-level sections had been demolished.

OSHA has fined Formica Construction $121,000 for the violations. A comment from the company was not immediately available.

Four construction workers were inside the building at the time of the roof collapse, but three were able to get out by themselves. Police and firefighters extricated Velazquez Mednizabal, who was found in the debris. He was taken to Richmond University Medical Center where he died, police said.

The building was an old Dana dealership that was being demolished, according to Ironhorse Development, which is part of the construction project. The new Dana dealership is next door.

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