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Yeshiva Riddled With 'Impalement Hazards' and Other Safety Violations: Feds

By Gwynne Hogan | June 22, 2016 10:22am
 Inspectors visited the school at 638 Bedford and issued 21 serious violations. 
Inspectors visited the school at 638 Bedford and issued 21 serious violations. 
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DNAinfo/Gwynne Hogan

WILLIAMSBURG — A yeshiva under construction was hit with nearly two dozen "serious" worker safety violations by federal safety inspectors who found the site had no fall protection around elevator shafts, skylights and other open holes, and a slew of "impalement hazards" from unguarded protruding steel rebar.

On June 3, safety inspectors from the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety & Health Administration visited 638 Bedford Ave., where a six-story school is being built by Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov, a company that operates several schools in Williamsburg and Borough Park.

OSHA inspectors soon issued 21 serious worker safety violations and the company could face up to $49,200 in fines.

“The nature and breadth of these violations are disturbing. Falls and electrocution are two of the four hazards that account for most injuries and deaths in construction work," said Kay Gee, OSHA director for parts of New York City. "Responsible employers must ensure that these and other required safeguards are in place and in use at all times."

The company received notification of the violations on June 17 and have 15 business days to respond to the allegations, though OSHA has no authority to stop work at the site in the interim, OSHA spokesman Ted Fitzgerald said. 

It's relatively rare that inspectors find as many serious violations on one job site, Fitzgerald said, it happens around a dozen times a year across the five boroughs, he said.

Eleven workers died from workplace falls last fiscal year in New York City, according to OSHA's count.

Permits issued to Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov list David Oberlander and Joseph Gold as two managers of the business, neither of whom responded to requests for comment immediately. Further voicemails to the school weren't immediately returned.