Insufficient column anchorage is a primary cause of column failure and larger contributor to iron worker injuries and fatalities. Who is to blame when a supporting beam falls in a high rise building with an ironworker on it? The ironworker falls over 20′ breaking his feet, ribs, hands and suffering injuries that prevent him from ever working at heights again. The general contractor blames the Steel Subcontractor and fires the foreman. The OSHA Inspector arrives two weeks after the steel column falls and after the general has cleaned up the site. OSHA writes it up just like the general contractor tells him exonerating the general contractor blaming the steel subcontractor and employee.
What the General Contractor did not tell the OSHA Inspector
The General, as Controlling Contractor, must notify the steel subcontractor that the concrete has attained sufficient strength to support loads imposed by steel erection and of any repairs, replacements, and modifications to anchor bolts. Construction Safety Order Section 1710 Erection of Structures (a) (3) (ac)(A),(B). The General Contractor also provided and poured the concrete with so much rebar that the standard ‘J’ bolts could not be used as anchor bolts but ‘through’ bolts were necessary. The Standard Terms and Conditions for a Steel Erector is that someone other than the erector is responsible to install the anchor bolts. The General is also the concrete contractor. The General put in the ‘through’ bolts for anchor rods but did not put nuts on the bottom.
The steel column looked and felt firm. The ironworker can reasonably rely on the general contractor meeting its duties to put nuts on the bottom. However, once the cross beams and supporting beams are attached the column with ‘through’ bolts with no nuts on the bottom teeters and falls down causing the iron worker to jump and sustain permanent injuries. The injured steel worker receives medical attention from an employer hack and 2/3′s wages for two years. Then what?
The General Contractor fires the Steel Erector foreman and blames the injured steel worker for not being tied off. Immediately after the fall the General Contractor installs nuts on all through bolts as should have been done before the fall and hires a safety man to inspect all columns for safety bolts. The Steel Erector should be allowed to rely on the General Contractor to do their job and install the anchor nuts on through bolts that they installed. If the injured steel worker would have been tied off to the beam then he would have been pulled down and killed by that beam. The injured iron worker is not at fault, the general contractor is responsible.
If you, a friend or family are an injured steel worker unfairly blamed for such injuries, you are entitled to fair compensation above and beyond Workers’ Compensation in a civil court to fully compensate you for your losses. Workers’ Compensation is limited and does not compensate for pain and suffering. Contact us, the Construction Accident Attorney’s for a free consultation.