A construction firm in Long Island, New York pleaded guilty on Friday (5 January) to three criminal charges after a worker fell from a roof on the company’s own property and died.
Northridge Construction Corporation pleaded guilty to violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation that would have prevented the fall, and to making two false statements that obstructed the agency’s inquiry into the fatality.
The fall happened in December 2018 at Northridge’s property in East Patchogue, New York.
The maximum penalty for each of the criminal offences is five years’ probation and a $500,000 fine, or twice the economic gain to the defendant or loss suffered by the victim because of the crime.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for 3 April.
In relation to the same incident, a federal grand jury indicted Richard Zagger, 58, of Blue Point, New York, charging him with conspiracy and obstruction on 29 November.
The four-count indictment alleges that Zagger was overseeing Northridge employees building a metal shed on the company’s property when the employee fell.
The indictment charges that during the OSHA investigation, Zagger made false statements and conspired with others to make false statements to obstruct the federal agency’s inquiry.
