Kenneth Hart, whose Harco Construction is facing criminal charges for the April death of a worker at the Restoration Hardware site in Chelsea, lost his Department of Buildings license after amassing 30 safety violations in the past two years.
After launching a new enforcement effort in the wake of worker Carlos Moncayo’s death on April 6, the Department of Buildings found eight of Hart’s job sites citywide had been deemed “immediately hazardous” over the past two years. Harco Construction is now no longer allowed to operate in the city, according to the city.
Prosecutors found that Hart’s company failed to property safeguard or warn Moncayo of hazards at the Restoration Hardware site, where he was crushed to death in an unsecured excavation pit known to be dangerous, according to DNAinfo. Harco and Sky Materials Corp. were charged last week with manslaughter, homicide and reckless endangerment in relation to Moncayo’s death.
The DOB reviewed Harco’s work history in wake of the incident and found a pattern of negligent behavior at all eight of its open work sites. All of the job sites are owned by the Cayre family, which is headed by developer Bobby Cayre and Cayre’s uncle Alex Adjmi – though the city made no mention of whether they are looking into the sites’ owners.
The Harco sites in question include 529 Broadway in Soho, where a Nike flagship sotre is set to rise; 118 North 4th Street in Williamsburg, slated to become a Whole Foods; 5 West 125th Street, which will house a new Bed Bath & Beyond as well as WeWork; and a hotel tower at 218 West 35th Street. [DNAinfo] – Rey Mashayekhi