By Nicole Bode and Jeff Mays
DNAinfo Staff
HARLEM — The Department of Buildings issued 10 serious safety violations Thursday against construction giant Skanska USA Building Inc. after a worker at one of their CUNY buildings suffered severe injuries in a fall there on Tuesday.
The violations at the construction site of CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center ranged from a failure to safeguard the site to storing materials inappropriately and allowing the netting that protects the public from falling debris to fall into disrepair, said Tony Sclafani, spokesman for the DOB.
A full stop work order that was issued Tuesday for 85 St. Nicholas Terrace near 135th St. remains in effect, he said.
Skanska USA Building said it was working to rectify the violations.
"The issues raised by the DOB were completely unrelated to the accident, but as one of the safest construction companies in the country, I can assure you that we are moving quickly to rectify those issues," said Michael Franco, project director at Skanska USA Building.
The injured 40-year-old worker fell 15 feet and was taken to the hospital with head trauma and a severe leg injury that was described by some witnesses as a compound fracture.
CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center at City College is the 200,000- square-foot research complex currently being built by the university to attract and retain top scientists in fields from nanotechnology to neuroscience, according to the school's website.
DOB granted the school's application last summer to perform $42,000 worth of work from the first to fifth floors, including installing a temporary standpipe.
"We look forward to getting back to work soon," Franco said.
