The first punishments meted out after the fatal collapse last March of the pedestrian bridge at Florida International University have been dealt to the contractors who designed and built the 950-ton span across Southwest Eighth Avenue in Miami-Dade County, according to news reports.
Six people died when the 174-foot-long bridge crashed down over the busy eight-lane thoroughfare on the afternoon of March 15.
Five companies were cited Tuesday by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for seven worker-safety violations and fined $86,658, the Miami Herald reported.
The companies “failed to protect workers when indications of a potential bridge collapse were evident,” OSHA said according to WTVJ-Ch.6.
Among those indications were cracks, discovered days before the collapse, of “significant width, depth and length at critical locations,” OSHA said.
The companies are facing fines only for the injuries of their workers and the death of one, WPLG-Ch.10 reported.
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