Mistake by a crane operator may have been key to Bryant structure collapse
A wide view of the collapsed steel frame of an athletic practice facility under construction in RI.
By Patrick Anderson
Posted September 2, 2015
SMITHFIELD, R.I. --
A mistake by a crane operator has been identified as the possible cause of a building collapse at Bryant University that injured six workers Tuesday morning.
A construction worker who escaped injury told Smithfield police at the scene that crews had been trying to "plumb the building" when the crane operator "must have pulled the steel beam [too] far which caused the structure to collapse," according to a police report released Wednesday.
The crane operator, identified by the worker only as John, could not be located by Smithfield police and was not interviewed, the report said.
After finding no evidence of suspicious activity, Smithfield police have turned investigation of the building collapse over to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has six months to issue findings in the case.
Smithfield Police Captain Michael Rheaume Wednesday said he does not know the identify of the crane operator or his direct employer, but believes he was not among the injured, as none were named John.
The building crews were working on was a planned 78,000 square-foot indoor artificial-turf sports practice facility Bryant is building adjacent to playing fields on the northern corner of the campus.
Plumbing the building refers to straightening the vertical beams of a structure so they are squarely aligned perpendicular to the ground.
Some of the workers injured in the collapse fell from ceiling beams where they had been working and were briefly trapped in the debris.
According to the police report, one of the workers was a 45-year-old man from Warren and another a 37-year-old man from Tiverton. The others came from Texas, North Carolina and Maryland and their ages ranged from 24 to 46 years old.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rhode Island Hospital reported that four of the workers had been treated and released.
Around noon on Wednesday, hospital spokeswoman Beth Bailey said three of the workers had been treated and released, but three remain patients and are in good condition.
Both Rhode Islanders are among those still in the hospital.
The general contractor on the Bryant practice facility was A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, Conn. and the subcontractor erecting the steel was Barnes Buildings and Management Group Inc. of Weymouth, Mass. It was not a union job.
A/Z Corporation has a clean safety record, according to OSHA, but Barnes Buildings has been cited for three safety violations and fined more than $7,000 since 2010 by the agency.
Calls to both contractor and subcontractor were not returned.
Meanwhile at Bryant, crews erected a fence around the accident site and forensic engineers and insurance adjusters Wednesday combed through the rubble, said university spokeswoman Liz O'Neil. The steel frame of the building will not be removed until inspections are done.
Although Bryant has indicated it intends to continue the practice facility project, O'Neil said she does not know what the next steps in that process are.
Bryant's fall semester classes begin Tuesday.
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Some information for Barnes Buildings and Management Group Inc. of Weymouth, Mass.taken from their web pages
A wide view of the collapsed steel frame of an athletic practice facility under construction in RI.
By Patrick Anderson
Posted September 2, 2015
SMITHFIELD, R.I. --
A mistake by a crane operator has been identified as the possible cause of a building collapse at Bryant University that injured six workers Tuesday morning.
A construction worker who escaped injury told Smithfield police at the scene that crews had been trying to "plumb the building" when the crane operator "must have pulled the steel beam [too] far which caused the structure to collapse," according to a police report released Wednesday.
The crane operator, identified by the worker only as John, could not be located by Smithfield police and was not interviewed, the report said.
After finding no evidence of suspicious activity, Smithfield police have turned investigation of the building collapse over to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has six months to issue findings in the case.
Smithfield Police Captain Michael Rheaume Wednesday said he does not know the identify of the crane operator or his direct employer, but believes he was not among the injured, as none were named John.
The building crews were working on was a planned 78,000 square-foot indoor artificial-turf sports practice facility Bryant is building adjacent to playing fields on the northern corner of the campus.
Plumbing the building refers to straightening the vertical beams of a structure so they are squarely aligned perpendicular to the ground.
Some of the workers injured in the collapse fell from ceiling beams where they had been working and were briefly trapped in the debris.
According to the police report, one of the workers was a 45-year-old man from Warren and another a 37-year-old man from Tiverton. The others came from Texas, North Carolina and Maryland and their ages ranged from 24 to 46 years old.
On Tuesday afternoon, Rhode Island Hospital reported that four of the workers had been treated and released.
Around noon on Wednesday, hospital spokeswoman Beth Bailey said three of the workers had been treated and released, but three remain patients and are in good condition.
Both Rhode Islanders are among those still in the hospital.
The general contractor on the Bryant practice facility was A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, Conn. and the subcontractor erecting the steel was Barnes Buildings and Management Group Inc. of Weymouth, Mass. It was not a union job.
A/Z Corporation has a clean safety record, according to OSHA, but Barnes Buildings has been cited for three safety violations and fined more than $7,000 since 2010 by the agency.
Calls to both contractor and subcontractor were not returned.
Meanwhile at Bryant, crews erected a fence around the accident site and forensic engineers and insurance adjusters Wednesday combed through the rubble, said university spokeswoman Liz O'Neil. The steel frame of the building will not be removed until inspections are done.
Although Bryant has indicated it intends to continue the practice facility project, O'Neil said she does not know what the next steps in that process are.
Bryant's fall semester classes begin Tuesday.
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Some information for Barnes Buildings and Management Group Inc. of Weymouth, Mass.taken from their web pages
About Us
Since 1996, we have
completed design-build projects throughout New England, teaming with our
customers to provide design and value enhancements for their engineered
systems building needs.
BARNES buildings performs OSHA
compliant, professional steel erection and metal installation services
with our own trained and equipped crews. Our inter-corporate motto
remains “Safety, Quality & Production, every job, every day!” BARNES buildings is prepared to provide exceptional products and service for you on your next project!
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Bryant University
Steel structure collapses at Bryant University; Six workers hurt
Posted: September 01, 2015
By NBC 10 News
Bryant University SMITHFIELD, R.I. -
A pile of crumpled steel sat where a building under construction collapsed Tuesday on the campus of Bryant University, injuring six workers.
According to Smithfield Fire Chief Robert Selzer, workers were constructing a 78,000-square foot Indoor Practice Facility near the Chase Athletic Center when steel beams fell over at about 8:15 a.m.
"They just started construction, were erecting steel, when something happened on site, the steel in place fell over," Seltzer said.
The collapse injured six construction workers, some of whom fell 30 feet from the top of the steel beams. A few were trapped briefly under the steel, but fire officials say they were easily extricated.
All six men were transported to Rhode Island Hospital. Four of them were released by Thursday afternoon.
"A couple complained of back pain, couple leg injuries, nothing life-threatening. All were alert and conscious upon our arrival. It was reported two briefly lost consciousness for a few seconds," said Capt. Jonathan Polak of the Smithfield Fire Department.
The university broke ground on the project in May, and it was scheduled to open next year.
Elizabeth O'Neil, a university spokeswoman, said construction of the steel beams just started in the past 10 days.
"They were putting up the steel framing that the roof would later go on top of," O'Neil said.
The project is now on hold as the investigation begins into what went wrong, she said.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, Connecticut, is the general contractor and that the sub-contractor that was erecting the steel was Barnes Buildings of North Weymouth, Massachusetts. The university has not officially started the school year. Some students have started to move in, but opening convocation is set for Sept. 9.
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Bryant University
Steel structure collapses at Bryant University; Six workers hurt
Posted: September 01, 2015
By NBC 10 News
Bryant University SMITHFIELD, R.I. -
A pile of crumpled steel sat where a building under construction collapsed Tuesday on the campus of Bryant University, injuring six workers.
According to Smithfield Fire Chief Robert Selzer, workers were constructing a 78,000-square foot Indoor Practice Facility near the Chase Athletic Center when steel beams fell over at about 8:15 a.m.
"They just started construction, were erecting steel, when something happened on site, the steel in place fell over," Seltzer said.
The collapse injured six construction workers, some of whom fell 30 feet from the top of the steel beams. A few were trapped briefly under the steel, but fire officials say they were easily extricated.
All six men were transported to Rhode Island Hospital. Four of them were released by Thursday afternoon.
"A couple complained of back pain, couple leg injuries, nothing life-threatening. All were alert and conscious upon our arrival. It was reported two briefly lost consciousness for a few seconds," said Capt. Jonathan Polak of the Smithfield Fire Department.
The university broke ground on the project in May, and it was scheduled to open next year.
Elizabeth O'Neil, a university spokeswoman, said construction of the steel beams just started in the past 10 days.
"They were putting up the steel framing that the roof would later go on top of," O'Neil said.
The project is now on hold as the investigation begins into what went wrong, she said.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, Connecticut, is the general contractor and that the sub-contractor that was erecting the steel was Barnes Buildings of North Weymouth, Massachusetts. The university has not officially started the school year. Some students have started to move in, but opening convocation is set for Sept. 9.