“In the catwalk area, the worker was walking on top of the drywall ceiling when they fell 40 feet below, landing inside of the third-floor ballroom,” said the New York City Dept. of Buildings in its initial report. Boston-based Suffolk Construction is the general contractor on the project.
Credit: AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Construction work has resumed on a $2-billion hotel renovation in New York City nearly a week after a craftworker fell to his death and a full-stop work order was issued by the New York City Dept. of Buildings.
First responders were called around 9: 30 a.m. on Jan. 2 to the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan where 45-year-old Elie William was pronounced dead on the scene. According to an initial investigation by the DOB, William was assisting a licensed master electrician in the catwalk area between the third-floor ballroom and the fourth floor when he fell.
“In the catwalk area, the worker was walking on top of the drywall ceiling when they fell 40 feet below, landing inside of the third-floor ballroom,” the DOB reported, adding that its investigation, “conducted in coordination with our partners in law enforcement,” is ongoing.
It isn’t clear who was William’s direct employer. Boston-based Suffolk Construction Co. is general contractor on the project.
“Falls are consistently the biggest threat to the safety of workers on the construction site, which is why contractors and sit