BOSTON (WHDH) - JDC Demolition Company, Inc., could be on the line for $1.2 million in penalties in connection with the death of a construction worker at the Government Center Garage project according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The employee, Peter Monsini, a heavy equipment operator doing demolition work on the eighth floor of the building, died on March 26 when the partially demolished floor collapsed, sending the operator and an 11,000-pound excavator plunging 80 feet. It was the worker’s first day on the job.
An inspection by the U.S Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the Brockton-based contracting company failed to adequately train its workers on the demolition plan and safety management system, USDOL said.
On the morning of the collapse, another operator told the foreman they had concerns about the floor’s safety. Despite that, the second employee was assigned to operate the excavator. That worker, the one involved in the accident, never received a safety briefing and wasn’t trained to follow the engineer’s demolition plan.
OSHA also found that JDC Demolition also put unsafe heavy loads in the form of heavy equipment on the partially demolished seventh, eighth and ninth floors.
In response, OSHA cited the company for several violations and proposed a total of $1,191,292 in penalties.
“JDC Demolition Company Inc. knew the heavy equipment on the partially demolished floors were over the weight limits and still allowed a worker, unaware of the hazards, to do demolition work,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Galen Blanton in Boston. “This willful and egregious disregard for safety cost a workers’ life and exposed other employees to potentially fatal hazards.”
In response, JDC Demolition released the following statement:
“JDC Demolition takes the safety and security of their employees extremely seriously and remains deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a team member,” spokesperson Lizzy Guyton said. “JDC Demolition historically has had an excellent safety record. They have fully cooperated with OSHA’s investigation and are carefully reviewing the citations, and will contest them as appropriate.”
OSHA also cited John Moriarty and Associates Inc., the demolition project’s general contractor, for four violations and over $58,008 in proposed penalties.
In a statement, an attorney representing the Estate of Peter Monsini said OSHA’s investigation and citations confirmed their own investigation into the partial building collapse.
“The OSHA findings further support our claims for gross negligence and demand for punitive damages,” said Attorney Paul E. Mitchell. “The estate intends to hold all defendants financial responsible for their conduct and resulting harms and losses.”
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