Contractor Says OSHA Fine for Building Collapse that Hurt 6 is "Surprising and Unwarranted"

The collapse of structural steel at a construction project at Bryant University in Smithfield in September was “needless and preventable,” according to federal authorities.

As a result, after an investigation, the contractor deemed responsible for the collapse, Weymouth, MA-based Barnes Building & Management Group, is now facing a proposed fine of $59,290 and citations for one willful and one serious violation of federal workplace safety standards.

“Stability needs to be maintained throughout the steel erection process so that a collapse such as this one does not occur. Barnes Building & Management Group knew this and also knew it needed to follow the manufacturer’s erection plan. Instead, the company chose to disregard these important safeguards, resulting in a needless and preventable collapse and injuries,” said Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s Rhode Island area director.

The contractor now has 15 days upon receipt of the citation and proposed penalty to contest the findings before the Independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Six workers were hurt in the incident, which sent metal beams to the ground and on top of the workers at the site of a new indoor practice facility under construction.

The company was handed the citations on Feb. 8.

The OSHA investigation foudn that Barnes Building & Management Group, did not erect the steel framework “according to the manufacturer’s plan.”

The company also failed to install enough bracing to ensure the framework was structural stable during its erection process.

“These conditions led to the collapse and worker injuries,” according to an OSHA news release.

In a statement, Barnes Building & Management Group said that it “is an industry leader and award-winning steel contractor whom has prided itself on providing quality building projects throughout New England for the past twenty years.”

The company, in the statement, said that they have had no issues erecting 100s of similar structures, exceeding OSHA standards.

“The accident at Bryant University was not the result of Barnes Buildings violating the law. We were erecting the structure according to the manufacturers plans, our approved erection plan and in a manner that met industry standard, and should have been more than sufficient to handle the loads that were present on the day of the collapse. Ironically, it was our stringent safety protocols and training that saved the lives of our employee’s on site that day. We find the two citations issued by OSHA surprising and unwarranted. We will be working with OSHA in the weeks to come in an attempt to resolve this dispute.”

According to a citation report, construction loads were placed on the framework without proper safety bolting, welding or other measures.

Specifically, the report indicates that a Lull forklift was placed on or against the framework before the collapse.

A swarm of emergency responders from Smithfield and neighboring towns rushed to the scene after the collapse was reported.

The building is a new indoor practice facility that is under construction and part of a multi-million dollar expansion project underway on the school’s campus.

The facility will include a 100-yard covered turf field and will total 78,000 square feet in all, O’Neill said. Beams were installed beginning 10 days ago. The structure was only partially completed when it collapsed.