Feds determine that Bryant building collapse was preventable

February 17, 2016 3:18 pm

By News Staff

news@abc6.com

The Associated Press

Federal officials have determined that the collapse of an athletic building under construction at Bryant University that injured six workers was preventable.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Wednesday that Barnes Buildings & Management Group didn’t erect the steel framework for the facility according to the manufacturer’s plan. Barnes Buildings also failed to install adequate bracing to ensure the framework’s structural stability during erection.

Workers were installing steel beams on a new indoor practice facility at the private university in Smithfield on Sept. 1 when the beams collapsed. No one was seriously injured.

OSHA issued citations on Feb. 8 for one willful and one serious violation of workplace safety standards. Proposed penalties total $59,290.

A message left for Barnes Buildings wasn’t immediately returned.