Couple Nearly Hit By Debris From Northwestern Hospital Construction Site

 

Neda and Milos Otic say they were poolside on their rooftop deck last week when a nail-studded 2-by-4 crashed down from the sky. (CBS)

(CBS) – A Streeterville couple narrowly missed being hit by construction debris.

The couple was sitting and relaxing by their pool when it came from above.

CBS 2’s Roseanne Tellez has their story.

Neda and Milos Otic say they were poolside on their rooftop deck last week when a nail-studded 2-by-4 crashed down from the sky, splitting on impact.

Milos sitting on the edge of this chaise lounge- was nearly hit.

“We were both just astonished to see such a big chunk fall off the building,” Milos Otic said.

“I just freaked out. I was super-scared,” Neda Otic said.

The couple says when workers atop the site shouted apologies, they realized just how far the debris fell. After reporting the incident at their building, they learned it wasn’t the first time.

“Our door person showed us a couple of pieces of metal that fell that day,” Neda said.

The building under construction, part of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sits on the corner of Ontario and Fairbanks in the pedestrian-filled Streeterville neighborhood.

In a statement, the hospital said the site “experienced two isolated incidents resulting in debris landing outside of the designated work zone. Neither occurrence resulted in injury.”

Work was halted immediately, and a third-party safety audit has resulted in “the enhancement of surrounding netting and tarps to better ‘cocoon’ the construction site.”

Friday, construction was still at a standstill, which was just fine with the Otics.

The couple says they haven’t noticed any changes yet, not beyond a five-foot net that was already up.

Northwestern says they are taking the matter very seriously and want the highest standard of safety. Work on the project resumes Monday.

View the original article here

Oregon Hospital Slapped with Asbestos Lawsuit

Five construction workers claim that an Oregon hospital and a Utah-based contractor negligently exposed them to asbestos during work at the hospital, prompting them to file a lawsuit against both parties for what they’re calling a “deceitful and irresponsible oversight.”

According to an article in The Register-Guard, the exposure occurred during demolition and remodeling jobs at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. It was caused by the improper handling of asbestos during projects taking place on the 2nd floor and in the basement of the facility.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that both McKenzie-Willamette and Utah-based Layton Construction Co. violated the federal Employer Liability Law and the Oregon Safe Employment Act. They seek up to $10 million in damages, the article notes, and will remain in fear of the fact that they may someday develop an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma.

Two of the men involved in the lawsuit worked for an electrical subcontractor employed during renovations and the remaining three worked for a sheet metal contractor doing work at the site.

Previously, state occupational health and safety regulators fined both the hospital and construction company more than $25,000 for the negligent exposure during the incident. Inspectors determined that the hospital should have known that there was asbestos in the sealant and tape used in the duct work in the hospital’s HVAC system and the plaintiffs say they were exposed to hazardous dust from those asbestos-containing items.

The lawsuit also states that the men were unaware that asbestos was present, so they “handled the demolition material as if it did not contain asbestos — allowing dust to be freely spread through the work area as well as throughout public areas of the hospital,” putting many others at risk for asbestos exposure as well.

McKenzie-Willamette was fined for a total of seven violations, including failure to inform custodians, housekeepers, operating staff and other employees working near the construction zone about the presence of asbestos.

Layton, a large national contractor, was fined for five different violations including failing to inform subcontractors about the asbestos in the second-­floor work area and failing to inform subcontractors of asbestos in the basement within 24 hours of discovering it there.

The fines have already been paid and neither defendant contested the accusations of wrongdoing.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 18th, 2013 at 10:29 am and is filed under News.

View the original article here