Construction accident at Whole Foods site in Gowanus injures three workers

A rendering of the Whole Foods in Gowanus
A rendering of the Whole Foods in Gowanus

A construction accident that left three workers injured has halted work at the site of Brooklyn’s first Whole Foods in Gowanus, the Brooklyn Eagle and DNAinfo reported.

The workers were welding parts of the building’s steel frame when it “gave way,” and they fell over 25 feet yesterday, Whole Foods spokesman Michael Sinatra told DNAinfo. None sustained serious injuries, and all have since been released from the hospital, he added. “There was a small accident at the site the other day so we are shut down for a short period of time, which is pretty standard,” he said. 

The Department of Buildings issued a stop work order at the site as well its most serious “Class One” safety violation. This is not the first time the site has been in trouble with the DOB, having previously received a Class One violation for failing to secure oxygen tank permits (the previous violation has since been resolved).

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Construction at the site should resume next week, following an OSHA inspection, Sinatra said.

The Whole Foods will rise next to the landmarked Coignet building, and is one of several high-profile projects planned for Gowanus, which brokers are touting as “the new Williamsburg,” as The Real Deal previously reported.  [Brooklyn Eagle and DNAinfo] –Hiten Samtani