OSHA cites contractor in fatal crane accident.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Published in: Fairfield County Business Journal
Date: 8/23/2004
By: Strempel, Dan
The general contractor overseeing the construction of the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge in Stratford failed to secure a large crane to its barge, leading to a fatal accident back in February, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The crane operator was killed when a large steel girder he was lifting budded causing his crane to tip over and fall into the Housatonic River.
OSHA cited his employer, Balfour Beatty of Atlanta for two serious violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and proposed the maximum fine of $14,000.
“At this point we have requested an informal conference to dispute the charges,” said David Hodnett, vice president and general counsel for Balfour Beatty. “Depending on the outcome of that we will have to review our options as fax as how we proceed.”
Balfour Beatty is the primary contractor on the demolition and reconstruction of the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge, which spans the Housatonic River on Route 15 between Stratford and Milford.
OSHA’s inspection found that the cranes involved in the accident were not secured to the barges on which they sat. OSHA standards require that mobile cranes used on barges be positively secured to prevent them from rolling or failing off the barges.
The inspection also determined that on the day of the accident, no one had been designated to oversee the dismantling operation, including the positioning of the barges, the rigging for the girder that was being lifted and the movements to be made by the cranes.
“We clearly take issue with those findings. We believe that we complied with the intent of the regulation to positively secure the cranes to barges and supervise the dismantling operation. That was part of our decision to seek the informal conference to discuss the citations,” said Hodnett.
OSHA standards, as well as industry safety codes, require that one designated person be responsible for operations when two or more cranes are being used to lift a load.
OSHA defines a serious violation as a condition for which there is a substantial possibility that death or serious physical harm can result to an employee. OSHA’s Bridgeport area office conducted the inspection.
Balfour Beatty Construction is a large engineering contractor, with annual sales of $500 million and an order book of ruse to $1 billion.
The company is owned by Balfour Beatty plc, an international engineering, construction and services group based in the United Kingdom and traded on the London Stock Exchange.
DAN STREMPEL
dstrem@westfairinc.com
COPYRIGHT 2004 Westfair Communications, Inc.