The airport terminal expansion project in Las Vegas had its second serious accident within four months when a rebar cage collapsed and trapped five ironworkers for half an hour. On June 23, the 70-ft-long cage collapsed on ironworkers at the Terminal 3 project at McCarran International Airport. The workers were attaching interior wire supports for the No. 11-sized rebar cage, lying on the ground lengthwise. The cage was to serve as a structural component of a subterranean roadway bridge in front of the new 1.87-million-sq-ft, $2.4-billion structure. An unidentified worker used a forklift to elevate the rebar until the Clark
Three workers died June 29 in New York City after being overcome by hydrogen sulfide fumes at a private waste transfer plant. The men died while trying to escape an 18-ft-deep hole filled with three feet of water at Regal Recycling Plant Co., a private water transfer plant on Douglas Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. The three workers at the scene included father and son, Shlomo Dahan, 49, and Harel Dahan, 23, from S. Dahan Sewer Specialists in South Ozone Park as well as Rene Francisco Rivas, 52, a Regal maintenance worker who tried to rescue the pair. Officials said that
On June 23, five steelworkers were injured when a 6-ft-dia., 70-ft-long rebar cage collapsed at the $2.4-billion Terminal 3 project at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Around 7 a.m., Tuesday, workers were attaching interior wire supports for the number 11-sized rebar cage lying on the ground lengthwise when it collapsed, trapping them inside. An unidentified worker used a forklift to elevate the weight off of the men until the Clark County Fire Dept. arrived. It took 30 minutes to extract the men by cutting the rebar cage, which was to serve as a structural component of a subterranean roadway
Two of three Georgia firms cited by the U.S. Dept. of Labor in a fatal pedestrian bridge collapse in Atlanta last December will contest the citations. Hardin Construction Co., Atlanta, Williams Erection Co., Smyrna, and Southeast Access, Kennesaw, were fined a total of $26,250 for the collapse of the 600-ft-long, 40-ft-tall bridge that was under construction at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. One worker died and 17 were injured as a result. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Hardin and Williams Erection were cited for inadequate formwork design, fabrication, erection, support and bracing.
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
Two men fell 75 to 80 ft. to their deaths Friday, June 12, when a rebar cage they were attaching gave way on a New Orleans-area bridge widening project, ENR has learned. Photo: Courtesy Louisiana TIMED Program The Huey P. Long Bridge Widening project, where two workers fell to their deaths June 12. Related Links: ENR’s Prior Huey P. Long Bridge Stories Louisiana’s Huey P. Long Bridge Widening The Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development has ordered joint venture Kiewit/Massman/Traylor Construction to cease all related steel and iron work on the $434 million, Phase IV of the Huey P. Long
By the end of June, three U.S. cities plan to begin tracking tower cranes working on construction sites, and public officials there hope to expand the list to improve safety on a national level. “Sharing this information can save lives,” says Robert LiMandri, commissioner of New York City’s Dept. of Buildings, which has volunteered to maintain a list of cranes operating in New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia. All have agreed to share data. “If there is an issue with a particular tower crane, model, make or practice that is going on, we want to know about it,” adds Tony
The contractor in the December 2007 collapse of a Jacksonville, Fla., parking garage during construction is claiming exoneration by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for responsibility in the catastrophe. A laborer died, and 23 other workers were injured. But OSHA insists that the case remains open, despite the agency’s formal settlement with the contractor. Photo: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Dept. Garage-collapse case still open. In June 2008, OSHA concluded its investigation into the collapse of the Berkman Plaza II parking structure and proposed penalties totaling $192,800 against Choate Construction Co., Atlanta, the general contractor; Southern Pan Services, Lithonia, Ga.,
One week after an 11th-floor scaffold collapsed on June 10 at a 21-story apartment construction project in Austin, Texas, killing three workers, local contractor Andres Construction Services has resumed work on the $40-million structure with “some limitations for the exterior,” says a spokesperson for the owner. It eventually will house students and faculty from the nearby University of Texas campus. Four men were working on a scaffold between the building’s 11th and 13th floors when part of it collapsed, says Harry Evans, an Austin Fire Dept battalion chief. Two men fell about 100 ft to the ground and were pronounced
The scaffolding accident that killed three workers on an Austin high-rise apartment building has underscored what some local researchers and safety advocates believe are safety problems in the city’s construction sector. One week after an 11th floor scaffolding collapsed June 10 at a 21-story apartment tower, killing three workers, contractor Andres Construction, has resumed work on the $40-million structure, says the owner of the building. It is set to house students and faculty at the nearby University of Texas campus. Four men were working on a scaffold between the building�s 11th and 13th floors when part of it collapsed, says
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