For the past six months, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) investigated the fatal crane collapse that happened in Seattle last April. Today, L&I announced it issued citations and fines to three companies for safety violations that relate to the fatal collapse and loss of life.

The L&I investigation

L&I found that nearly all of the pins and sleeves that hold the crane together were prematurely removed against manufacturer instructions. As a result, the crane owner, Morrow Equipment LLC was fined $70,000 for one willful serious violation of not following manufacturer’s procedures. GLY Construction was fined $25,200 for three serious violations, including:

(1) Not having a qualified supervisor and other personnel on site at all times during the disassembly operations;

(2) Not ensuring the manufacturer’s procedures were followed; and

(3) Not accounting for weather conditions.

Northwest Tower Crane Services was fined $12,000 for three serious violations that include:

(1) Not following the manufacturer’s procedures;

(2) Not ensuring workers understood their assigned duties; and

(3) Inadequate training of workers.

Summary

In total, these fines add up to $107,200. According to L&I it spent hundreds of hours investigating this tragic accident that claimed the lives of two workers and two bystanders. The full L&I press release can be found on the L&I website.