Two New York City construction workers have filed lawsuits against two major contractors, alleging negligence that contributed to a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem. The legal actions, announced Aug. 20, come as health officials continue to track the spread of the illness, which has so far claimed six lives and infected more than 100 residents.

According to NBC News, Nunzio Quinto filed suit against Skanska USA Building, alleging he was exposed while working on the New York City Public Health Laboratory Building in Harlem. Duane Headley, another worker, lodged a separate complaint against Rising Sun Construction, claiming he contracted the disease while employed at a different Harlem jobsite connected to another public health lab project.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the workers, said the outbreak underscores preventable failures in safety oversight.

“This medical tragedy that led to the deaths of five citizens from Harlem, that we know about, was a completely preventable outbreak,” Crump said.

The lawsuits allege that the construction firms neglected to properly test and maintain cooling towers after heavy rain left water pooled on rooftops. When hot weather followed, the stagnant water created ideal conditions for the Legionella bacteria to grow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, spreads when contaminated water droplets are inhaled—not through person-to-person contact.

City officials have linked the Harlem cases to contaminated cooling towers at Harlem Hospital, which allowed bacteria to spread into the surrounding community. ABC7 reported that the case count has risen to 111 confirmed infections, with six fatalities so far.

Skanska declined to comment directly on the pending litigation but issued a statement emphasizing its cooperation with regulators.

“We will continue to implement all necessary mitigation and communication procedures to ensure the safety of our workers and the surrounding public,” the company said, adding that it is working with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to disinfect and monitor the affected cooling tower.

Meanwhile, Rising Sun Construction, a South River, New Jersey-based general contractor with multiple projects across New York City, has not publicly responded to the lawsuits.

The outbreak has reignited broader concerns about construction-site health and safety, particularly on projects tied to public health infrastructure. Legionella outbreaks are rare but not unprecedented in New York, where aging building systems and extreme weather can create the conditions for bacteria to thrive.

For Harlem residents, the outbreak has been both a public health crisis and a wake-up call about accountability in major construction projects. Advocates argue that stronger oversight of contractors and stricter enforcement of water testing protocols are needed to prevent similar tragedies.

Originally reported by Zachary Phillips in Construction Dive.