At about 10 a.m. Monday, construcion worker Gary Winisky Jr. was killed after a heavy load of roofing material fell from a crane and struck him on the head at the site of the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hopsital addition.
Diane Brown, Department of Public Safety spokesperson, said that Winisky, an employee of Schreiber Roofing, was pronounced dead at 10:38 a.m. in the emergency room at the University’s Medical Center.
The University of Michigan Health System sent out an e-mail to all UHMS employees this morning regarding the construction accident.
“We are deeply saddened by this news,” wrote Patricia Warner, associate director and chief administrative officer of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital. “Our hearts go out to (Winisky’s) family, friends and co-workers.”
Winisky’s death was the third fatal construction accident on campus in the past 16 months.
The other two accidents that occurred include the death of an elevator mechanic at the Ross School of Business construction site last August and the death of a masonry worker at the University’s Museum of Art construction site last February.
In an e-mail interview Brown wrote that the University, although not liable for on-campus construction accidents, “expects and requires the contractors they hire to fully comply with all applicable rules and regulations.”
“Keep in mind the construction sites at the University (as elsewhere) are under the ownership during construction of the general contractor hired by the University to manage the project,” Brown wrote. “Therefore safety compliance is the responsibility of the construction company, not of the University.”
Brown said DPS is investigating the incident.
“What we don’t know is how the roofing material fell,” Brown said. “It’s part of the investigation.”
The construction site was closed for the remainder of the day.