Alabama Contractors Cited Following Fatality

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited contractors for nine safety violations after an employee was fatally crushed when the Berkman Plaza II parking garage under construction in Jacksonville, Alabama collapsed.

The citations carry a proposed $192,800 in penalties. These include a willful violation carrying a $49,500 penalty against Choate Construction, the general contractor, and two willful violations with penalties totaling $125,000 against Southern Pan Services (SPS), the concrete formwork contractor. Choate and SPS are each receiving a willful violation for failing to have a qualified person determine if the structure could support the additional three-quarters of an inch of wet concrete weight that was added to the 20-inch floor slab.

In addition, one willful violation is being proposed against SPS for failing to obtain a reshoring drawing, including all revisions, for the reshoring design method used at the site.

Choate Construction is also being cited for one serious violation with a proposed $6,300 penalty and one other-than-serious violation with a $900 penalty. SPS is receiving two serious violations resulting in $7,500 in proposed penalties.

A.A. Pittman, a concrete finishing contractor, is being cited for two other-than-serious violations and $3,600 in penalties for recordkeeping violations discovered during the inspection.