Cal/OSHA Cites Three Contractors More Than $145,000 for
Oakland Structure Collapse
Oakland—Cal/OSHA
has cited three contractors $147,315 for safety violations after investigating
the collapse of a temporary mold (formwork) and vertical shoring at an Oakland
construction site that sent 13 workers to the hospital.
On
May 26, workers at 3039 Broadway, a 435-unit mixed-use project, were pouring
concrete into elevated formwork when the shoring system supporting the formwork
collapsed. The workers fell some 20 feet along with freshly poured concrete,
reinforcing steel, timber framework, and tools and equipment. One worker’s
injuries required surgery.
“Significant
safety lapses caused injuries that could have been much worse if the workers
hadn’t landed in freshly poured concrete,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum.
“Employers must identify, evaluate and correct unsafe working conditions and
follow all requirements to prevent employee injuries and illnesses.”
Cal/OSHA’s
investigation found that the formwork and vertical shoring system that
collapsed were not properly designed, installed or inspected. Cal/OSHA issued serious
and serious accident-related citations to subcontractors Largo Concrete, Inc.
and N.M.N. Construction, Inc. for $73,365 and $70,320, respectively, for
failure to ensure that the formwork and vertical shoring were designed to
safely withstand all intended loads, failure to have calculations and drawings
approved by a California registered civil engineer as required for vertical
shoring over 14 feet tall, and failure to ensure the shoring supports were
erected on a level and stable base. General citations were issued to general
contractor Johnstone Moyer, Inc. for $3,630 in proposed penalties.
Cal/OSHA
addresses safety requirements for concrete construction and vertical shoring in
its Cal/OSHA
Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry.
Cal/OSHA,
officially known as the Department of Industrial Relations’ (DIR’s) Division of
Occupational Safety and Health, helps protect workers from health and safety
hazards on the job in almost every workplace in California. Cal/OSHA’s
Consultation Services Branch provides free and voluntary
assistance to employers to improve their safety and health programs. Employers
should call (800) 963-9424 for assistance from Cal/OSHA Consultation Services.
Cal/OSHA has also published a wealth of helpful guides for employers
and workers.
Employees
with work-related questions or complaints may contact DIR’s Call Center in
English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734). The California Workers’
Information line at 866-924-9757 provides recorded information in English and
Spanish on a variety of work-related topics. Complaints can also be filed
confidentially with Cal/OSHA
district offices.
NMN Construction Company Profile
For the last 20-years NMN Construction
has been honing our craft with the goal of being the best shotcrete and
gunite contractor in the region. By keeping up with the latest
technologies and paying close attention to on-site safety and quality
workmanship we have completed hundreds of shotcrete projects all across
California with varying levels of difficulty. In 2012, shotcrete-veteran
Ron Federico joined our team to oversee operations. With over 30-years
of industry experience Ron has applied shotcrete to civil, structural,
repair and architectural concrete construction.
Established: March 31, 1994
Financial Reference: US Bank
Insurance Providers: Alliant Insurance Services Surety: Zurich North American Surety Single Project Bonding Capacity: $40,000,000 Aggregate Bonding Capacity: $80,000,000
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12 Injured After Large Housing Project Under Construction Partially Collapses in Oakland, California
The proposed housing development project is being financed by the largest landlord in the U.S.
By Riya Bhattacharjee and Bigad Shaban
May 26, 2017
Twelve people suffered minor injuries when a building under construction partially collapsed in downtown Oakland Friday morning, burying workers under wet concrete and debris.
The workers were pouring concrete at about 9:30 a.m. when the floor fell out from under them, fire Battalion Chief Ian McWhorter said.
Oakland Fire Department Deputy Chief Darren White said all the workers were safely extricated after falling 10 to 15 feet into wet cement and getting buried in it and debris. Some workers were left hanging from scaffolding, McWhorter said.
Oakland fire and police crews responded to the site, located at 3093 Broadway, a large mixed-use housing project by developer CityView and its financial backer Blockstone Group, after a caller alerted them to the incident at 9:30 a.m.
Blackstone Group LP, is the largest landlord in the U.S.
All 12 workers were transported to local hospitals and were treated for minor injuries, which McWhorter described as scrapes and bruises.
"Right now we don't know what caused this incident to occur," White said.
"On-site workers did a great job with assisting those under small debris," McWhorter said.
Most workers were trapped up to their knee level, he added.
Cal-OSHA and a city engineer are on the scene investigating what caused the collapse.
"The company needs to know the safe way to do things," Peter Melton from Cal-OSHA said. "Their workers need to be properly trained on safe procedures. We want everyone to go home at the end of the day safe and sound."
The contractor for the proposed building is Johnstone Moyer, Inc. and the concrete contractor is listed as Largo Concrete, Inc.
According to federal inspection records reviewed by the Investigative Unit, both companies have been cited for safety violations in the past.
Largo Concrete, based in Tustin, was cited 5 times in the past 5 years, according to records from the Department of Labor. Two of those violations involved accidents. Largo Concrete was fined $8,655 for those violations, which were related to unsafe work conditions and the company’s injury prevention program. One violation was listed as “serious” and involved protocols that should have been in place to protect workers from being impaled by steel or other materials.
Johnston Moyer, based in San Carlos, was cited 6 times in the past 5 years for violations relating to safety conditions and permitting, according to federal inspection reports.
Neither company offered comment about the accident on Wednesday.
Johnston Moyer had a Cal-OSHA inspection at the site on March 22 due to a complaint about safety at the site, a former Bay City Chevy dealership.
The proposed housing project is expected to open in 2018, and according to a Bloomberg report, has a budget of $150 million. It's unclear if that number has changed.
According to a building permit filed with the City of Oakland, the seven-story structure will include 423 apartments and 21,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. The site is located next to a large retail project called the Shops at Broadway.
NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger showed several people being wheeled away in stretchers following the collapse.
Witness Armando Morales feared the incident was much worse than what actually transpired.
"With all these problems (happening) right now, the first thing that I think is is somebody put a bomb," he said.
Julie Morton, who was working at the medical building on Broadway and Webster, which is located right next to the site on Pill Hill, as the neighborhood is referred to, said she heard a loud sound.
"Our building shook and it literally felt like an earthquake — we looked out of the window and started taking video," Morton said. "It looked like the cement support gave away and the wet cement came pouring down on the workers. It covered a lot of the workers. Police and ambulances started arriving."
Morton said the building has been under construction for a couple of months now.
"I'm really shook up, I'm praying for the workers safety," she said. "It's an awful sight to see."