COVINGTON, Ga. — A seven-month federal investigation has determined that two companies failed to follow required safety standards that could have prevented an October 2021 bridge collapse in which a concrete saw struck and killed a worker.
B&D Concrete Cutting Inc. of Atlanta and Georgia Bridge and Concrete LLC of Tucker did not conduct a proper engineering survey on the Access Road bridge demolition project in Covington on Oct. 19, 2021, a federal workplace safety investigation has determined.
An overstressed section collapsed and fell into the river as workers dismantled the 85-year-old bridge over the Yellow River near I-20's Almon Road exit in western Newton County, a news release stated.
A 70-foot section of the bridge fell about 50 feet and a concrete saw weighing more than 1,700 pounds struck and killed Demario Battle, 33, who was employed by B&D Concrete Cutting.
A second B&D worker, Robert Mullins, suffered injuries and was hospitalized and confined to a wheelchair. No information was available for a third worker, Michael Garrett of Georgia Bridge.
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigators cited B&D and Georgia Bridge – the project’s prime contractor — for not ensuring a competent person had performed an engineering survey before allowing workers to begin the dismantling project, the release stated.
Company personnel also did not ensure procedures were in place to prevent structural parts from being overstressed during dismantling operations — exposing employees to "fall and struck-by hazards," the release stated.
OSHA Area Office Director Joshua Turner said if B&D and Georgia Bridge had conducted a proper survey as required, "the tragic loss of one worker and serious injuries to another may not have happened."
“Established safety standards exist to ensure workers get home safely and don’t leave families, friends and communities to grieve a preventable fatality,” Turner said.
OSHA also cited Georgia Bridge and Concrete for failing to keep a fire extinguisher within 75 feet of two equipment refueling stations.
The agency proposed penalties of $31,283 for Georgia Bridge and Concrete and $25,669 for B&D Concrete Cutting.
B&D Concrete Cutting Inc.is a construction contractor specializing in cutting and removal within commercial, industrial, transportation, aviation and health care industries. Georgia Bridge and Concrete LLC — formerly known as Sunbelt Structures Inc. — specializes in bridge and heavy civil construction, the OSHA release stated.
The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the release stated.
The work was part of a $3.065 million project to replace the 85-year-old bridge with a more modern structure. .
Access Road bridge ran parallel to I-20 near the edge of the interstate's eastbound lanes. It was built in 1937 and classified as "structurally deficient" which required it to be replaced, a GDOT release stated.
The bridge carried more than 9,000 vehicles per day before traffic was detoured in October 2021.
Work resumed on the old bridge's demolition in February and completion date for the new structure was set at Sept. 30, 2022.
Mullins, who spent more than a month recovering in Grady Hospital, has filed a lawsuit in White County against foreman Michael Garrett seeking payment for medical expenses that exceeded $1.2 million. Garrett has denied responsibility for the collapse.
