OSHA: 11 violations in East Side project

Federal labor officials found 11 "serious" safety violations against the main contractors for the East Side Access tunnel after a runaway rail car hit an aerial lift in October, injuring two workers.

In recommending a $48,000 fine, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the Dragados USA-Judlau joint venture failed to wedge a stopper under the rail car wheels and secure the car with a safety chain as it was being disconnected from the train.

In the Oct. 15 accident, the car had no lights that could have warned workers down the tunnel of the oncoming danger, and the workers in the aerial lift had no radio or watchperson for emergencies, OSHA said.

"This incident would have been avoided if the employer had followed proper safety procedures, inspected for and corrected deficiencies and provided adequate training to employees," said Kay Gee, OSHA's area director in Manhattan.

Officials for Dragados USA, the Manhattan-based designer-builder, and Judlau, the Queens-based excavator, could not be reached Friday night. They have 15 business days to contest or comply with the report.

OSHA officials said they found other violations, including unsecured compressed gas cylinders, damaged guardrails on the aerial lift, unprotected steel reinforcement rods sticking out of the tunnel floors and walls, damaged ladder cage and ungrounded electrical cords.

A month after the rail car accident, a worker was killed in the tunnel when concrete from the cavern walls fell on him.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $7.4 billion project will link Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal, relieving crowding at Penn Station and shaving almost half an hour off uptown workers' commutes.