Safety violations cited in Pharmacy accident

The construction company for the School of Pharmacy building faces a proposed $19,000 penalty for alleged workplace safety violations stemming from a June accident that injured 11 workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced four citations Dec. 7 against Kraemer Bros. Construction, the general contractor for the $46.9 million Pharmacy building project. But only one relates directly to the June 11 accident, in which the support for a section of freshly poured concrete collapsed.

OSHA ruled that the shoring system – a framework used to hold freshly-poured concrete in place – was not capable of carrying the maximum intended load. The agency also cited Kraemer Bros. for leaving unprotected one edge of a work area; deviating from a shoring plan; and not restricting workers from the area under which concrete was being poured.

All but two of the injuries were minor. One employee required a longer hospital stay because of a broken leg, and another who was trapped under debris had serious injuries to his legs and feet.

Kraemer Bros. owner Tom Kraemer says the company was not surprised to get the citations, which are common in an accident involving injuries. Bruce Braun, assistant vice chancellor for facilities planning and management, says that despite the accident, the project is within several weeks of its original November 2000 completion date.

Braun called the accident an “isolated incident” and says it doesn’t raise further questions about the quality of the company’s work. Kraemer Bros. was able to continue working on other portions of the building, at 777 Highland Ave., while the investigation took place, he says.