ASTORIA — The Department of Buildings slapped a stop work order on a Queens construction site Wednesday, a day after the roof collapsed and seriously injured three workers — including one man who was trapped under debris for nearly two hours.
The contractor, Ideal Builders And Construction, received two violations Wednesday for "failure to safeguard" the work site at 31-25 28th Road, where thousands of pounds of construction materials collapsed through the building's roof on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Department of Buildings.
The agency also issued a stop work order at the location, where construction crews were adding a third story to an existing building. The site had not received any violations previously, a DOB spokesman said.
Calls to Ideal Builders And Construction went unanswered Wednesday, and the building's owner did not return a message seeking comment on the incident.
Officials say the crash took place around 3:41 p.m. Tuesday, when heavy construction materials that had been loaded by a crane onto the building's roof caused a portion of it to collapse.
A 37-year-old construction worker was able to remove himself from the building, while another 40-year-old worker was briefly trapped but was removed shortly after, officials said.
The third victim, a 28-year-construction worker, was pinned under thousands of pounds of equipment for nearly two hours as rescue workers crawled through the collapsed building and dug a trench to get him out.
All three workers were taken to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition. Officials were unable to provide an update on their statuses Wednesday.
The DOB has ordered the owner of the house to install a sidewalk shed in front of the building and construction fencing around the site. The agency is still investigating what contributed to the collapse, and may issue additional violations depending on those findings, according to a spokesman.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has also opened an investigation into Ideal Builders and Construction Services, as well as another company involved at the site identified as CDW Carpentry Inc., an OSHA spokeswoman said.
Those investigations could take up to six months to complete, according to the agency. CDW Carpentry Inc. could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
