A steel disc plummeted 22 stories at the Deutsche Bank building last week but it did not injure anyone.
The 4-pound, 7-inch disc broke off of a hoist outside the building at 130 Liberty St. Wednesday afternoon, May 14. It stayed within the construction site as it fell and pierced the roof of a decontamination trailer upon landing.
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation is currently decontaminating 130 Liberty St. before demolishing it. Last August, a fire at the building killed two firefighters.
After the disc fell, the Department of Buildings partially stopped work to examine the personnel hoists, which move workers up and down the building, said Kate Lindquist, spokesperson for the D.O.B. The Buildings Department also issued violations to general contractor Bovis Lend Lease and subcontractor Regional Scaffold and Hoist.
The disc was attached to the hoist’s counterweight with a clip, and the clip is what broke, sending the disc hurtling downward, Lindquist said.
A defective clip is “not uncommon,” on construction sites, an L.M.D.C. official said. Usually, though, the falling disc stays within the railing of the hoist. This time it fell outward, into an area of the site where it could have hit a construction worker.
The partial stop work order is still in effect. It prevents workers from using the decontamination trailer hit by the disc, Lindquist said. Workers can still use the building’s other decontamination trailers.
The D.O.B. issued violations to Regional Scaffold and Hoist for failing to maintain the hoists. Bovis received a violation for failing to protect the public and property affected by construction.
–Julie Shapiro
