Dive Brief:
- The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) suspended work this past weekend on a $1.4 billion highway project after nine workers were injured when a new highway section dropped more than a foot, hitting wooden support beams that struck workers, The Orange County Register reported.
- Officials believe that something went wrong with the jacking operation, the Register reported, and investigators from the RCTC and contractor Atkinson Walsh Construction Joint Venture, as well as safety officials, examined the scene.
- The injured workers are affiliated with Atkinson Walsh, and RCTC Executive Director Anne Mayer said the company will hire an independent forensic engineer to evaluate the accident.
Dive Insight:
It is the responsibility of the contractor, in this case Atkinson Walsh, to maintain a safe work site for its employees and subcontractors. Atkinson Walsh project manager Jan Bohn, the Register reported, said safety has always been a priority on the project.
According to Bohn, the company is devastated by the accident. "Everyone goes home every day, that's a big deal to us," he told the Register. "We failed yesterday."