Two of three firms cited by the U.S. Dept. of Labor for a fatal bridge collapse in Atlanta last December plan to contest the sanctions, issued June 17. Hardin Construction Co. of Atlanta, Williams Erection Co. of Smyrna, Ga., and Southeast Access of Kennesaw, Ga., were fined a total of $26,250 for the Dec. 19, 2008, collapse of a pedestrian bridge that was under construction at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Crews were placing concrete on a new 600-ft-long, 40-ft-tall pedestrian bridge when portions of the structure collapsed, killing one and injuring 17.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s report, Hardin and Williams Erection were each cited for inadequate formwork design, fabrication, erection, support and bracing. OSHA noted that the distance between two shoring towers was approximately 45 ft, when the structural drawings indicated that the maximum distance should be only 30 ft. Hardin, which served as construction manager for the project, was fined $6,300 for the violation. Williams Erection was fined $4,900 for the same violation.