Blog

Workers’ compensation is a growing area of concern for many people as the country undergoes drastic changes to culture and employment. One story that has caught the attention of many is the recent report that unravels the events leading up to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation at the City Center construction site – where one worker is to have reportedly passed away.

Gross & Kenny is an experienced law firm operating out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our firm has seen innumerable amounts of workers’ compensation cases including those involving serious injury and even death. If you believe that you may be entitled to workers compensation, please reach out to our firm at your earliest convenience.

The Terrible Fate of a Belarusian Construction Worker

Near Sansome and South 24th Street close to Rittenhouse Square, a construction worker by the name of Siarhei Marhunou fell to his death around 11:40 a.m. The worker was part of a crew building five luxury homes for Bernier Real Estate Group and OCF Realty. Marhunou was a former resident of the Eastern European country of Belarus. He had been residing in Philadelphia for two years and leaves behind his wife and three-month-old child.

Marhunou’s construction placement was a complicated one. The Belarusian man worked for a company called DBCI, which had in turn been subcontracted to work on the luxury home project by Hammers Contractors, which in turn had been contracted by the Fitler Construction Group, which was managing construction for OCF.

In a surprising twist of events, it became evident that it was unknown why DBCI was hired, what they were doing on the project, or where the company was actually headquartered. In addition, the president of OCF Realty, Ori Feibush, claimed that he was unaware that Hammers Contractors had hired the ghost company. He stated that this was strictly prohibited at OCF Realty.

Feibush is reported to have arrived on the site shortly after learning about the accident. “It’s hard to know what could have prevented this without knowing what exactly unfolded,” Feibush said in an interview. He stated that this was the first death of a worker at OCF. In light of this claim, the Philadelphia Inquirer attempted to confirm this through OSHA’s fatality database but was unsuccessful.

The whole ordeal has raised many red flags for OSHA and workers’ rights organizations. In the six months that it has to complete its investigation and release its findings, the federal organization will attempt to investigate the death of Marhunou and uncover the mystery behind DBCI. In another attempt to gain more information, the Philadelphia Inquirer contacted Hammers Contractors with the intention of gaining contact with DBCI. Hammers Contractors directed all questions and concerns to DBCI, but were unsuccessful at providing any form of contact. It is reported that OCF Realty is cooperating with investigators.

Where to Turn for Workers’ Comp in Philly

Just as in the case of Siarhei Marhunou, there are often many more questions than answers in workers’ compensation cases. Deaths, injuries, and violations of workers’ rights are all too common in the American workforce. If you believe that you are entitled to financial compensation due to an event that occurred while on the job, please reach out to Gross & Kenny at 215-512-1500 where we will utilize one of our Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys to fight for your rights in a court of law.