COVINGTON, Ga. — The Federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration has cited two metro Atlanta companies for not following required safety standards on a Newton Co. bridge demolition project in October of 2021. A 33-year-old worker died when the bridge collapsed that day and another worker was seriously injured.
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Channel 2 Action News reported on the collapse of the access road bridge crossing the Yellow River. As it was being taken a part, investigators said an overstressed section of the bridge collapsed and fell into the river. They said a piece of concrete weighing over 1,700 pounds hit the worker and killed him.
OSHA cited Georgia Bridge and Concrete, the project’s primary contractor, along with B&D Concrete Cutting of Atlanta for not ensuring that a competent person had performed an engineering survey before allowing workers to start dismantling the bridge. They also said company personnel did not ensure that procedures were in place to prevent structural parts of the bridge from being overstressed while it was being taken apart.
OSHA said those factors exposed workers to falls and struck-by hazards.
“If the employers had conducted a proper survey on this highly technical project as required, the tragic loss of one worker and serious injuries to another may not have happened,” said Joshua Turner, OSHA Area Office Director in Atlanta-East. “Established safety standards exist to ensure workers get home safely and don’t leave families, friends and communities to grieve a preventable fatality.”
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OSHA also cited Georgia Bridge and Concrete for not keeping a fire extinguisher within 75 feet of two equipment refueling stations. The agency recommended fines of $31,283 for Georgia Bridge and Concrete and $25,669 for B&D Concrete Cutting.
According to OSHA’s rules, both companies have 15 business days from when they receive the citations and penalties to comply or contest the findings.
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