Photo by AP Wide World New criminal charges were filed against PG&E in the 2010 San Bruno pipeline fire that killed eight people. Related Links: July 29 Superseding Indictment Announcement and Link to Document April 1: U.S. Indicts PG&E on 12 Criminal Counts in Fatal 2010 California Blast San Bruno Fire May Cost California Utility More Than $4 Billion Pacific Gas & Electric could be facing new penalties of more than $1 billion when it appears in a U.S. federal court in San Francisco on Aug. 18 to address charges under a July 29 indictment that more than doubles the
Related Links: Windy St. Jude's Day Storm Fells London Tower Cranes Warning Signs Were Ignored in Fatal NYC Crawler-Crane Accident Investigators are trying to determine why a crane collapsed at the site of a South Florida residential construction project, killing a construction worker and damaging a neighboring house. Christopher J. Ricci, 27, of Sunrise, Fla., was struck by the crane's boom and died instantly in the June 12 accident, a police spokeswoman says.DLS Prestressed Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla., was using the lattice-boom truck crane, which was riding on rubber tires, to install piling for construction of a two-story, single-family home
Related Links: Pemex to Go for FPSO to Develop Ayatsil-Tekel in Gulf of Mexico Mexican officials are investigating an accident earlier this month at a fabrication yard owned by a joint venture of Fluor Corp. and Empresas ICA, S.A.B. de C.V. that caused workers working in a man-basket to fall 130 ft to the ground, killing five instantly. Two others later died from their injuries.The firms also confirmed that one worker is in serious condition after the June 11 accident at the Matarredonda facility in Veracruz state.ICA-Fluor’s work there is part of its $95-million contract, awarded in 2012, to build
By the end of June, Nigerians will know what caused the June 2 collapse of a four-story building that killed four construction workers in the city of Onitsha, 482 kilometers from the capital, Abuja.The Anglican Church of Nigeria was constructing the building. The church's Niger diocese and the government of Anambra state have set up parallel teams to probe the collapse. Construction experts have blamed several factors, including contractor incompetence and non-compliance to project specifications and standards. The building is suspected to have been initially approved for just two stories. Unconfirmed reports also suggest that, before the collapse, too little
Photo courtesy of AGC of America Workers get a briefing on fall-protection equipment during a safety "stand-down" at a Washington, D.C., job site. Related Links: OSHA safety 'stand-down' Web page The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and construction industry and union groups are teaming up to raise awareness about jobsite protection against falls from height, the leading cause of construction fatalities.OSHA has launched a program of “Safety Stand-Downs,” to take place during the week of June 2-6, in which companies halt work on projects around the U.S., to get briefings and reminders about proper equipment and jobsite steps recommended
Images Courtesy of (above) 95 Express Lanes; (below) Transurban, Fluor and AAA Mid-Atlantic Full-page USA Today ad delivers pledge to eliminate worker injury. Among many other safety measures, Virginia's express-lanes project uses catchy signs to reduce cell-phone use and distracted driving. Related Links: Safety Week 2014 95 Express Lanes Construction Contractors often get the rap of being tough guys, said Michael McNally, CEO of Skanska USA Inc., "but these are compassionate people who really care about the people they work with. If they see anyone get hurt or killed on a jobsite, it is devastating." McNally addressed leaders from about
Photo courtesy Sarens Group The new guide will include broader best practices for safe lifting beyond oil-and-gas projects, SC&RA members say. Related Links: Testing Companies Debate OSHA Crane Operator Delay All Erection Picks Up 10 Manitowoc MLC300 Crawler Cranes A respected crane-management tome is soon to receive a much-needed update to make it compliant with current industry standards and safety codes, according to trade group and publisher Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association.The 120-page book, titled "Exxon Crane Guide: Lifting System Management System," was first published in 1998, and SC&RA has since sold thousands of copies to owners, engineers, contractors, suppliers
Photo By AP Wideworld A March 25 Houston fire, similar to a San Francisco blaze a week earlier, destroyed an apartment complex under construction. In each case, investigators are looking at welding as a possible ignition source. Related Links: Builders Lose Massive San Francisco Apartment Complex to Fire OSHA Safety Standards for Welding Fire investigators in Houston and San Francisco are going through rubble and interviewing workers on-site at a pair of under-construction apartment complexes that ended up in ashes.One factor common to both sites is the possibility a jobsite welding spark ignited the fires."We won't have any information for
Related Links: Link to Indictment and California Attorney General announcement Link to PG&E investor site-April 2 filing to SEC San Bruno Fire May Cost California Utility More Than $4 Billion PG&E Pledges To Stay Focused On Safety Despite Federal Charges Fatal NYC Blast Underscores Commonplace Gas Leak Explosions in U.S., Expert Says Officials of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. are set to appear in U.S. district court in San Francisco on April 9 to plead not guilty to the giant utility’s indictment on 12 criminal charges in the 2010 gas line blast that killed eight and destroyed 38 homes in
Three construction workers were injured when a dead load on the 12th floor of an apartment building jobsite “pancaked down to the fifth floor” just before 8 a.m. on March 20, said Deputy Fire Chief Robert Calobrisi of the Boston Fire Dept. at the scene in Boston’s Theater District.
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