Suffolk Construction Voluntarily Halts All Boston Projects After Edison Power Plant Floor Collapse
BOSTON (CBS) – Suffolk Construction has ordered a "safety stand down" at all of its projects in Boston through Friday after three workers were hurt in a floor collapse on Wednesday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened inspections with Suffolk, along with Northstar Contracting Group, Inc. and TRC Companies. Those three companies are employers at the redevelopment of the former Edison Power Plant in South Boston.
A cantilevered floor collapsed Wednesday at the building. Two workers were immediately removed from the debris and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A third worker's lower legs were trapped under a large piece of the floor for more than three hours before they were rescued.
Boston safety experts were shocked to see Suffolk Construction projects come to a screeching halt through the end of the week.
"They have a very good safety program and they generally do really good safety on jobs. I don't know what happened," said Peter Stavros, a construction safety consultant. "They have programs that target contractors with bad safety records and Suffolk is not one of those contractors."
During the construction pause, Suffolk will conduct a "comprehensive review and evaluation" of safety standards and procedures.
"This is a voluntary action on the part of Suffolk. We strive daily to fulfill our continuing commitment to safe operations, demonstrate compassion for our employees and trade partners, and keep our projects safe in every way," Chairman and CEO John Fish wrote to project teams on Thursday. "The effort will reenergize and bolster that very strong commitment. Safety continues to be the number one priority of this company, and that will never change."
