Work resumed at the Goldman Sachs construction site this week, just more than two weeks after a steel plate flew off of a hoist and landed in the middle of a Downtown Little League game.
The Department of Buildings partially lifted the stop-work order imposed on general contractor Tishman Construction Corp. after the accident. The partial stop-work order now in effect allows Tishman to resume interior work on the first 13 floors of the 43-story building.
Tishman and Goldman had to implement a dozen safety measures dictated by the Buildings Department before restarting work.
A Department of Buildings spokesperson did not comment on what Tishman and Goldman will need to do to get the stop-work order lifted entirely.
At a Community Board 1 Battery Park City Committee meeting Tuesday night, Goldman and Tishman officials reiterated safety commitments they have previously made. Since the accident, they have hired additional safety personnel and a wind consultant. To prevent materials from falling off the building in the future, workers are installing full-height netting around the building and are securing loose metal plates to the hoist when moving them.
B.P.C. Committee members still appeared concerned about the safety of children playing on the field — not to mention pedestrians passing by the site — but their thoughts also turned to the construction workers who lost paychecks because of the stop-work order.
Of the 900 people working on the site before the steel plate fell, only 80 or 90 were able to return on the first day that work partially restarted, said Rob Blackman, a Tishman executive.
“It’ll take a while before we’re up to our full strength,” he said.
Jeff Mihok, a C.B. 1 member, asked Blackman to convey to the construction workers the community’s sympathy over the lost work.
Another issue that came up at the meeting was whether Tishman would abide by the strict new safety standards if these would mean a delay in delivering the project to Goldman and possibly incurring a late penalty.
Jeffrey Schroeder, managing director of Goldman, said that penalties are between Tishman and Goldman and would not interfere with safety.
“Safety is our top priority,” Schroeder said. “If there’s any issue that would suggest safety is compromised, I trust that Tishman wouldn’t think of moving forward.”
— Julie Shapiro
