Scaffolding on the East Campus Housing Project collapsed last month, injuring six workers.
The scaffolding, which spanned the width of the building, fell 65 feet from Building 3, the future Delaware Hall of Binghamton University’s Newing College, at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2, according to Chuck Paffie, assistant fire chief of the Vestal Fire Department called to the scene.
‘There were three [victims] on the site,’ Paffie said. ‘The scaffold was flat on the ground, nobody was trapped.’ The initial call stated workers had been pinned underneath the structure. Of the six workers who were injured, three were able to walk on their own, but the others were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.
Rescue teams worked to get the injured out of further harm’s way, as other hazardous material remained on site.
‘There was another piece of scaffolding that was leaning against the building, wedged. It wasn’t going to fall but had the potential to fall,’ Paffie said.
Paffie noted it was lunch hour so most of the workers were not utilizing the scaffold. Four workers were removed from the site and taken to Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City and Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton with compound fractures and bleeding. An additional worker came forward with an injury later that day.
A sixth worker came to Wilson Memorial Hospital later Wednesday afternoon. No students were around the site at the time of the accident, according to Paffie. Three of the workers are still in the hospital.
All the injured workers were employees of Apple Roofing, a subcontractor which LeChase, the prime contractor based in Syracuse, had pre-approved before the bid for the project. Respresentatives from Apple Roofing would not comment when contacted.
Representatives from LeChase also would not comment on the type of scaffolding which had collapsed, which company had supplied the materials or who built it.
‘The cause of the accident at Building 3, which is a five-story building, is still under investigation,’ said LeChase spokeswoman Jennifer Miglioratti on June 21.
First responders alerted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an agency of the Department of Labor, to come and investigate the construction site.
OSHA is called when three or more workers are admitted into the hospital after an accident.
‘We go to where the accident happened,’ said Chris Adams, OSHA’s area director in Syracuse. ‘We look at physical evidence. Also employee interviews to find out what happened, find out if any violation of OSHA happened.’
LeChase will face citations and a monetary fine if guidelines were broken. The investigation can take up to six months, the statute of limitations for OSHA inquiries, Adams said.
LeChase would not comment whether the workers were following safety precautions at the time of collapse, but according to LeChase’s website, safety is its top priority.
The University may also face liability for the accident under NYS Scaffold Law, which holds property owners and contractors fully responsible for accidents incurred on site due to safety violations even if they did not directly control the site.
‘BU personnel continue to work closely with DASNY (Dormitory Authority State of New York) who are our design/construction agency and the Construction Manager at risk, LeChase, to make sure all necessary safety protocols are followed,’ said BU spokeswoman Gail Glover.
According to WBNG Binghamton, LeChase has worked with BU on building the Mountainview Community, the University Downtown Center and the Innovation Technology Complex.
‘Construction has resumed on the site and we have every confidence the project will be finished on time,’ Glover said.