The federal government has sued an Orange County tree removal service to recover an unpaid fine that was levied in 2017 after an employee was killed on the job.
Northern Tree Service II Inc., of Washingtonville, owes $44,284 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the complaint filed Oct. 27 in U.S. District Court, White Plains.
Oscar Salazar, 30, of New City, Rockland County, was killed in October 2016 while working at the Peach Hill townhouses in Ramsey, New Jersey.
OSHA determined that he was struck by a tree limb because not enough rope was rolled around a Port-a-Wrap friction device to control the limb as it was lowered. He also was not wearing a hardhat.
Tree trimmers have a fatality rate more than three times that of the average worker, according to a 2016 article published by Reveal, of The Center for Investigative Reporting. Citing figures from the Tree Care Industry Association, it said about 580 people died in tree trimming accidents from 2009 through 2015.
OSHA imposed a $25,350 fine on Salazar’s employer for two workplace safety and health violations. The tree removal service did not contest the fine, according to the complaint, but it has not paid it.
The government tacked on nearly $19,000 for interest and for Department of Treasury and Department of Justice fees.
Northern Tree Service II was founded by Todd Pezzementi in 2005, according to a state corporation record. The company also has an office in Stony Point, Rockland County.
Stony Point attorney Jeffrey T. Millman, who represents Pezzementi in an unrelated lawsuit, did not respond to an email asking for his client’s side of the story.
The government is represented by Manhattan attorney John Manfredi.
