LAKEWOOD, N.J. — A construction worker died Friday morning after falling from the third floor of a work site, prompting an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), authorities said.
Jorge O. Paltan-Ajila, 51, of the Bronx, was working at 1600 Avenue of the States when he fell at 7:27 a.m., according to Lakewood Police Capt. Gregory Staffordsmith.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Paltan-Ajila was handing tools to another worker on a boom lift when he stepped on an unsecured beam. Both he and the beam slipped off the platform, causing severe traumatic injuries, Staffordsmith said.
Despite efforts to provide aid, Paltan-Ajila was pronounced dead at the scene. He had been wearing a safety harness, but it was not secured to an anchor point, authorities said.
Paltan-Ajila was working alongside two cousins, who were notified as his next of kin. OSHA officials are investigating the incident, which is the latest in a series of workplace safety concerns in the construction industry.
