Construction worker killed in 9-story fall in Oakland is identified

A construction worker died Thursday morning after falling nine stories from scaffolding at an apartment building under construction in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Authorities identified the man as John J. Allen, 47, of McKees Rocks.

First responders were dispatched shortly before 8 a.m. to 419 Melwood Ave.

Allen was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:01 a.m.

Allen was working on the exterior of the building and fell to the ground, police said.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death, said Joanna P. Hawkins, deputy regional director for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Philadelphia office.

OSHA has up to six months to complete an investigation.

The Pittsburgh police Violent Crime Unit is also investigating, which is protocol anytime there is a fatality, police spokeswoman Emily Bourne said.

Hudson Companies, the Mercer County-based developer of the apartment building, issued a statement saying it wanted to express “our deepest condolences following the tragic accident that occurred this morning.”

“Safety is and remains our top priority,” the company said in a statement.

The company said it is communicating with OSHA.

The contractor on the project is Cost Company, a Forest Hills-based masonry, stone and restoration contractor that has been in business since 1927, according to its website.

A person who answered the phone Thursday at Cost Company declined to comment.

Cost Company violated OSHA guidelines Oct. 31, 2019, according to online records. OSHA didn’t issue a financial penalty in the case.

OSHA found that Cost Company was not safely maintaining hand tools, power tools or similar equipment at a job site in Canonsburg, the online records show.

A sign in front of the Melwood Avenue building identified the structure as The Julian.

When completed, the building will have 148 apartments with on-site garage parking, according to the Hudson Companies website.

The website said Hudson Companies also is planning to build a 166-unit apartment building, which would be two stories taller than The Julian, on Melwood Avenue.

The site of the death was quiet shortly before 11 a.m., as workers stood amid yellow police tape.

Late Thursday morning, a construction crew of about 25 to 30 workers stood across the street from the 10-story building, where scaffolding appeared to climb at least nine stories off the ground. They did not talk with reporters.

The fatal fall shut down traffic for several hours on part of Melwood Avenue, police said. The road was reopened by 10:45 a.m.