Hudson Yards Death Caused By Worker Failing To Attach Harness, City Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — An electrician who fell to his death while working at a Hudson Yards construction site last week was wearing a safety harness that wasn't connected to anything, city officials said.

One electrician was killed and a second seriously injured on Thursday at the massive construction site at 400 W. 33rd St. Both men were wearing safety harnesses that weren't attached to anything, DNAinfo was first to report. A spokesman for the city's Department of Buildings confirmed that neither man was properly hooked in.

The property, owned by Brookfield Properties, will eventually become One Manhattan West, part of the massive development on the west side of Manhattan that's become known as the Hudson Yards commercial district.

The city issued a full stop work order after the accident on Thursday, halting any construction from continuing while investigators reviewed the scene. The stop work order was partially rescinded on Monday, according to online records. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

This is the second time in four months a construction worker has died while working at the site. In June, a construction worker fell 10 stories to his death at 1 Manhattan West, according to authorities and city records. At the time, city inspectors faulted the site for "site conditions endangering workers," according to city records. Authorities say that Roger Vail, the 62-year-old who died in June, "was allowed in an area which presented a fall hazard" without being given a life line and harness, "resulting in death."

Image credit: Ciara McCarthy / Patch