An investigation has been launched following the death of a construction worker from a parking garage collapse earlier this week.
Peter Monsini, 51, died on March 26 when a crane collapsed at a parking garage under construction at Government Center. Monsini was operating an excavator when the floor gave out from underneath him, causing him to fall roughly 100 feet.
“We were devastated to learn that we lost a Brother Member from Local 4 to a tragic and horrible construction accident in Boston,” Bill McLaughlin, the business manager of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4, wrote in a statement. “He was a great friend to many of us and he will be sadly missed.”
Following the incident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in tandem with the District Attorney’s Office, launched an investigation to find out what happened.
“The City of Boston is working with city, state and federal investigators to determine the cause of this tragic accident,” City Councilor Ed Flynn wrote in a statement. “It is critical that we ensure our construction workers are safe when performing their jobs, and that we have measures in place to prevent tragic accidents like this from happening again.”
According to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, the company managing the site at the time of the accident, JDC Demolition, and its parent company, J. Derenzo, “have a history of unsafe working conditions.”
“A worker working for J. Derenzo died on the job in April 2018. The worker was using the bucket of an excavator to disassemble a trench box when he was fatally struck in the chest by part of the box,” it said in a statement.
According to OSHA records, JDC Demolition has received numerous violations in the past, including a $4,900 fine in Feb. 2014, a $9,800 fine in Mar. 2016 and a $12,288 fine in June 2021.
HYM Investment Group, the company behind the Government Center garage project, wrote in a statement it obtained all “applicable permits” and had “premier contractors” on the job.
“In light of the terrible tragedy that occurred on Saturday evening, we are fully cooperating with investigators to gather all of the facts to make a true determination on what happened,” HYM wrote in a joint email statement with the National Real Estate Advisors.
Jeff Newton, communications director for MassCOSH, said construction companies need to put “people over profits and safety over timeline.”
“We really want to see companies ensuring that workers are trained on the kind of hazards they will see at that particular worksite and really spending the time to make [construction] more effective and safe as possible,” Newton said.
Newton added MassCOSH is working on trying to pass an act relative to workplace safety and disclosure of violations, which would enable the state to view the safety records of contractors bidding for state projects.
“We think the regulations are strong, now we just need strong enforcement, and the ability to reward good companies with good safety records, and not fund organizations and companies that have proven to be unable to keep their workers safe on the job,” Newton said.
In the aftermath of the incident, nearby Orange and Green Line stations were suspended.
“Because most of the debris stemming from the partial garage collapse came down on the surface directly above the Green Line, structural engineers continue an intensive examination and assessment of the tunnels used by Green Line trains,” MBTA wrote in a March 29 press release.
Shuttle buses were provided to replace service between North Station and Government Center. The Green Line service remains suspended.
Orange Line service between the North and Back Bay stations resumed on Mar. 29, according to a press release.
