A Blue Point man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to one year in prison and two years of supervised release on charges relating to obstruction of an investigation in a 2018 fatal construction fall in Suffolk County, federal prosecutors said.

Richard Zagger, 58, a former supervisor for Northridge Construction Corporation located in East Patchogue, previously pleaded guilty to a four-count indictment charging him with conspiracy and obstruction of proceedings in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation, according to prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice.

On Dec. 8, 2018, Zagger was overseeing construction of roof panels on a metal shed at the company's East Patchogue headquarters when a worker fell 12 feet from an improperly secured shed onto a concrete floor and died after suffering a serious head injury, officials said.

OSHA investigated the employee's death and identified multiple violations of worker safety standards, including the failure to maintain the stability of a metal structure during construction, federal prosecutors said.

Inspectors also determined the company failed to provide fall protection or protective helmets and misused a ladder.

Additionally, federal prosecutors said Zagger made false statements and conspired with others to make false statements to obstruct OSHA's investigation of the accident.

Northridge previously pleaded guilty to violating a worker safety standard that caused the death of one of its employees and to making two false statements that obstructed OSHA’s investigation.

In August 2024, the company was sentenced to pay a $100,000 fine and complete a five-year term of probation for violating a worker safety standard that caused the death of an employee and for making false statements during the investigation.