Sunset Park Construction Worker Falls 6 Stories, Dies at Domino Sugar Factory

By Sarah Kaufman

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Construction worker Wilfredo Enriques fell to his death Friday morning at the former Domino Sugar Factory building in Williamsburg, police and the building's real estate developer said.

Enriques, a 59-year-old Sunset Park resident, fell from the sixth floor of the building and suffered trauma to the head, the NYPD said. Police got the 911 call at 8:07 a.m. Enriques was transported to Woodhull Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.

Enriques was an employee of PG Products of New York, a subcontractor in charge of installing the facade and windows at the site, Two Trees Management, the real-estate developer of the building, said in a statement.

John Gibney, principal at PG Products of New York, said in a statement: "We are devastated by the loss of Wilfredo Enriques, a dedicated employee and friend for the past decade. Our prayers are with Wilfredo's family at this very difficult time. We are fully cooperating with Two Trees and the DOB to understand how this tragedy occurred."

The Domino Sugar Factory building, at 325 Kent Ave., is being converted into an affordable housing development through the Inclusionary Housing Program of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the 80/20 New Construction Housing Program of the New York State Housing Finance Agency.

Two Trees Management said in a statement Friday: "We are overwhelmed with grief by this tragic accident and extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones and colleagues. All work has stopped on the site and we are working closely with the City to determine the cause of the accident."

NYC's medical examiner will determine Enriques' cause of death.

The contractor of the Domino Sugar Factory construction project has been written up 24 times in the past year for a class 1, or "immediately hazardous," safety violation, according to the Department of Buildings website.

In June, the contractor was fined $1,600 for the vertical protection netting on the ninth floor not being up to code, and the floor netting on the sixth floor completely missing. Other violations include improper safety rails, lack of toe guards for the protection of those who could fall from the sixth floor (as Enriques did), and no safety manager on site.

Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York union, said in a statement: "Incidents like today’s, which are preventable, happen all too often and underscore the need for the Mayor, the City Council and the Department of Buildings to work together to enact greater site safety regulations and mandatory safety training and apprenticeship programs."

LaBarbera added: "In the last two years alone there have been an astounding 29 fatalities at construction sites in New York City with almost 90 percent of those incidents on non-union sites. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that non-union work sites are extremely dangerous for workers and the public alike. In any other industry, such a disproportionate fatality rate would prompt not only outrage but immediate action. Our elected and public leaders must do everything in their power to reverse this alarming epidemic. Construction workers lives do matter and we can no longer tolerate irresponsible developers and contractors putting profits ahead of safety. This must end now."

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