The Occupational Safety and Health Administration yesterday issued citations against the general contractor and five sub-contractors working on a Miami Dade College garage that collapsed killing four and injuring seven last October, the Miami Herald reported. The agency found that the contractors did not properly secure and inspect columns and other structures inside the work zone, where an injured worker told the Herald contractors “put speed ahead of safety.”
Ajax Building, the general contractor on the site, at 3800 Northwest 115th Avenue in Doral, received fines ranging from $4,900 to $7,000 for each violation.
The agency found that MEP Structural and Inspections, the entity responsible for inspections, failed to inspect 18 columns at the garage.
Ajax, through a spokesperson, told the Herald that they are cooperating with OSHA and declined to comment until the review comes to a close. The four sub-contractors could not be reached.
The errors mentioned in the OSHA citations are not directly tied to the collapse, the Herald said. A more detailed report is to come.
Today’s citations go hand in hand with alleged violations detailed in lawsuits filed by families of the dead regarding the collapse. An attorney has indicated that a crane struck the site, shifting an unsecured column, which probably brought about the deadly collapse. [Miami Herald] —Zachary Kussin