OSHA Cites Five Contractors Following Collapse of FL Pedestrian Bridge
Upon investigation, OSHA determined that the companies failed to protect workers despite indications that the bridge could collapse.
OSHA issued citations recently to multiple contractors for safety violations after one employee died and five other employees sustained serious injuries in the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in March 2018 at the Florida International University campus in Miami. Collectively, the five companies received seven violations with penalties totaling $86,658.
Upon investigation, OSHA determined that the companies failed to protect workers despite indications that the bridge could collapse. Cited violations included exposing employees to crushing and fall hazards and allowing multiple workers to connect to a lifeline that was improperly installed.
The companies cited are as follows:
- Figg Bridge Engineers Inc., a civil and structural engineering company
- Network Engineering Services Inc. (doing business as Bolton Perez & Assoc.), a construction engineering and inspection firm
- Structural Technologies LLC (doing business as Structural Technologies/VSL), specializing in post-tensioning in bridges and buildings
- Munilla Construction Management LLC, a bridge and building construction company
- The Structural Group of South Florida Inc., a contractor specializing in concrete formwork
"Collectively, these employers failed to take appropriate action and provide the necessary protections to their employees while they were working on the bridge on the day it collapsed," OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt A. Petermeyer said.
The citations for each company can be accessed via OSHA's website.