BOSTON (WHDH) - Suffolk Construction has shut all of its sites through Friday as federal officials probe the scene of a catwalk collapse injured three people in South Boston Wednesday, officials said.
The company is conducting a voluntary “Safety Standdown” to review its sites starting Thursday afternoon through Friday, Suffolk officials said.
Suffolk is the general contractor in charge of the demolition of the 1898 Boston Edison Power Plant in South Boston, which is part of a 1.7 million square foot mixed retail, residential and office complex. Officials said a catwalk collapsed on three workers during demolition yesterday and while two were freed quickly, one was trapped for three hours with his legs under piles of debris.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office was investigating but he found no immediate evidence of criminal conduct. Federal investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are examining the site and will take six months to complete their probe, officials said.
This is the second high-profile collapse in Boston in little more than a month, with a collapse during demolition at the Government Center parking garage killing an engineer and dropping 100 tons of debris on the ground above the Haymarket MBTA station. A South Boston resident who said he was concerned about damage at the site said OSHA needs to protect workers.
“OSHA better get to the bottom of this or they all should be fired, to allow all this to happen,” said resident Joe Cappuccio. “Who’s looking out for the worker? Nobody!”
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