Falling Scaffolding Kills Chelsea Construction Worker

CHELSEA, NY — The construction worker who died at a Chelsea building site on Monday morning was killed by a falling piece of scaffolding, city officials said.

A man, 34, died Monday morning at the work site at 61 Ninth Ave. near Chelsea Market. The property has been slapped with a number of building code violations since construction started, some of them related to unsafe scaffolding, according to city records.

"This tragedy appears to have been completely preventable and we are taking enforcement actions against all parties involved, including a full stop-work order at the site," a spokesman for the city's Department of Buildings said in a statement.

"We are working closely with law enforcement on this incident. Additional penalties are pending the conclusion of this investigation."

On Monday, an anchoring bracket for a scaffold came loose at the site and fell from the building's 10-story roof level to a sidewalk shed above the street. The worker was standing on the sidewalk shed when he was hit.

Patch could not immediately contact the general contractor of the site. The building is a high-end office and retail space designed by the famous architect Rafael Vinoly.

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