The OSHA has found a “blatant disregard for federal safety regulations” led to the collapse of an aircraft hangar that led three people dead.
The incident at Boise Airport in January also saw eight people injured.
The investigation found that the building contractor, Big D Builders Inc. of Meridian, neglected standard safety protocols and overlooked clear warning signs during construction.
Inspectors found the company started the hangar’s construction without adequate bracing or tensioned guy wires.
The investigation also revealed the contractor ignored multiple indicators of structural instability, such as visibly curved, bent, and wavy I-beams, unbalanced columns, and snapped wire rope cables.
It was also found the builders continued to add 150-foot-long bays to the football field-sized project.
The bays were visibly misaligned, with many critical connecting bolts left loose.
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But Instead of installing additional bracing or temporary guy lines as required by industry standards, the contractor used straps to straighten the added spans.
OSHA Area Director David Kearns in Boise, Idaho, said: “Big D Builders’ blatant disregard for federal safety regulations cost three workers their lives and caused at least eight others to suffer painful injuries.
“The company’s irresponsible construction methods left the aircraft hangar’s structure extremely vulnerable.”
“We cannot put a value on the loss of life, but we will use all our resources to hold employers accountable when they willfully ignore safety regulations and expose workers to serious and fatal injuries”
Further investigation found the contractor failed to train workers on the proper construction of steel spans and permitted cranes.
There was also no training on other equipment to operate in mud and standing water, increasing the risk of equipment overturning.
Kearns added: “The tragic loss and pain suffered by so many is compounded by the fact that Big D Builders could have prevented all of this from happening.
“We cannot put a value on the loss of life, but we will use all our resources to hold employers accountable when they willfully ignore safety regulations and expose workers to serious and fatal injuries. We encourage other employers to remember the risks of ignoring federal OSHA and industry safety standards.”
The punishment
OSHA cited Big D Builders for one willful violation and three serious violations of federal safety regulations, proposing penalties totaling $198,586.
The agency also cited Inland Crane Inc. of Boise with one serious safety violation, proposing a penalty of $10,163 for exposing workers to collapse hazards by failing to ensure stability during the hangar erection process.
Based in Meridian, Big D Builders Inc. is a design-build contractor offering site evaluation, architectural and engineering consulting, drafting, and project management services to clients in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
