Feds Fine Miss. Bridge JV For Formwork Violations
Federal safety regulators cited Granite Archer Western, the joint venture contractor for the $266.8-million U.S. Hwy. 90 Bridge over St. Louis Bay in Mississippi for willful violation with a proposed $70,000 penalty for the June 14 column form collapse that resulted in two fatalities. “This collapse was preventable,” says Clyde Payne, director of the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s area office in Jackson. “Willful characterization means the employer knew the requirements, was aware of the conditions and did not take any actions to rectify the situation.”
OSHA officially cited GAW for failing to correctly design, fabricate, erect, brace and maintain the formwork. Inspectors determined that the formwork was incapable of supporting the lateral load of the wet concrete. Basically, the column design would have been sufficient for the 112 cubic yards intended for that column, but not at the rate GAW was pouring, Payne says. “I’m not talking about going down the highway and getting pulled over for doing 56 in a 55,” he says. “They were greatly exceeding the rate.”