Penalties in Collapse Are Silent on Trigger OSHA report claims that Atlantic City garage contractors failed to tie rebar and properly shore 5/10/2004
There were many points left unmade by the federal governments proposed penalties against the contractors and inspection firm on a casino garage in Atlantic City, N.J., where four workers died in a partial collapse last Oct. 30. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration blamed improperly made connections and sloppy shoring but did not identify the triggering event. Yet it was impossible to overlook the bluntly worded assessment of the contractors performance by one top OSHA official in the agencys April 29 report.
Area Director Gary Roskoski described the mistakes as "Engineering 101." An attorney representing the family of one dead worker said the accident was "an absolute colossal and systemic failure from top to bottom." But victims relatives expressed disgust with the modest proposed finesa total of $119,000 against four firms. Federal officials say it was the maximum they could propose under current rules.