Man Nearly Died After Fall At Framingham Apartment Work Site

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Authorities are looking into an incident in which a construction worker was badly injured after falling off the roof of a building at a downtown-area construction site. The man was part of a roofing crew at the Bancroft Building development, and was so new, the person who hired him couldn't recall the man's name or if he had Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety credentials, according to a police report.

Framingham City Councilors have raised questions about the incident as the developers behind the project seek a tax-increment financing agreement from the city worth $1.6 million. The developer, Washington Square Ventures, plans to convert the 115-year-old building into hundreds of loft-style apartments.

The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24. The worker was on the roof of the power plant building, which sits along the north side of the main Bancroft Building, when he fell 20 feet to the ground below, according to the police report.

Robert Solon, the site superintendent for the construction management firm Dellbrook JKS, was the first person on the scene. Solon found the worker lying on his side with no pulse and not breathing. He started CPR before Framingham police and medics arrived to take over.

Four Framingham officers performed CPR and used a defibrillator to revive the worker. He was driven to the state police barracks along Route 9 and flown by helicopter to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The worker has since recovered, Washington Square Ventures representatives have said.

The developers are not using union workers at the Bancroft Building, which has been a point of contention for Councilors. At an Oct. 10 Council hearing, the developers said they had met with union leaders, and were incorporating some worker protections on the job site — but the Framingham police investigation into the incident revealed the worker who fell wasn't even fully employed.

Framingham Detective Stacey Macaudda discovered Dellbrook had hired a subcontractor, TCT Contractors, to work on the roof at the power plant building. The worker had been hired by a TCT subcontractor, Milford-based GS Siding, just a few days before the accident.

Macaudda interviewed GS Siding owner Camilla DeSouza at the scene. DeSouza told the detective the worker was just trying out for a job and hadn't officially been hired. DeSouza was unsure if the worker had received OSHA safety training.

"I asked (DeSouza) for his information as well as any family contact information, and she responded by saying, 'I don't know really know his name or anything about him, we are trying him out, it's his third day, I don't even know if he has an OHA card, I didn't get any information on him yet,'" Macaudda wrote in a police report.

Patch reached out to DeSouza for comment. We will update this story if we hear back.

While waiting for OSHA inspectors, a Framingham officer noticed workers walking around and securing windows at the building, and had to order them to stop. OSHA is investigating Dellbrook, TCT Contractors, and GS Siding in connection with the fall. Those inquiries were still open as of Monday. This is the first OSHA investigation of GS Siding, according to inspection records.

Washington Square Ventures is in the process of seeking the TIF incentives for the Bancroft Building. If approved, it would cut property taxes over a seven-year period. The developers said they need the tax break to recoup higher-than-expected renovation and environmental cleanup costs.

Here's the full police report on the Sept. 24 accident:

Bancroft Accident Police Report by Neal McNamara on Scribd