2 Builders Lose Licenses After Deadly Harlem Accident

HARLEM, NY — Two builders involved in a 2019 construction accident in Harlem that killed a worker have had their licenses permanently revoked, the city said Thursday.

The June 22 accident killed 44-year-old worker Carlos Olmedo Lala, who fell from a second-story scaffolding at 880 St. Nicholas Ave. in Sugar Hill. According to the city's Department of Buildings, that scaffolding had been installed illegally by two companies, Bellet Construction and Zain Contracting.

In September 2019, the DOB suspended the licenses of the companies' two riggers, Wayne Bellet and Mohammad Bhutta, alleging they had negligently installed the scaffolding and issuing them 15 aggravated violations, carrying fines of $287,500.

After a yearlong process, Bellet and Bhutta lost their rigger licenses for good on Nov. 18, the city said. Bellet's company was also issued $50,000 in penalties.

Lala had been installing and repairing the building's brick façade before he fell from the scaffolding. According to the DOB, contractors never got permits to install the scaffolding, which lacked safety measures including guardrails and planks to support the workers, who also lacked scaffold-safety training.

Other violations included a lack of supervision, design drawings on-site and scaffold-installation records, the department said.

Neither company could be reached for comment Thursday morning.