OSHA Inspection: ALVES CARPENTRY, LLC

Issued

2021-12-29 00:00:00

Penalty

Initial $9557.00 · Current $9557.00

General-duty citation text

OSH ACT of 1970 Section (5)(a)(1):The employer did not furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees:  On or about July 1, 2021,  a five story, wood framed condominium building under construction collapsed during a severe weather event.  An independent engineering firm was commissioned to perform a forensic investigation of the collapse and concluded that the building's collapse was, in part, due to defects in the construction process.  Those defective conditions and /or processes included, but were not limited to:  A. Interior shear walls that were not constructed (sheathed) correctly; B.  Exterior shear walls (on all sides of the building) which included DensGlass� exterior sheathing that was not properly staggered across horizontal structural members such as plates and band boards as designed; C.  Original permit plans called for the exterior sheathing to be OSB plywood but DensGlass� gypsum boards were substituted for the plywood sheathing; D.  Improper nailing and nails sizes were used in the construction of the building framing, in that, certain structural elements including sills plates and top plates were not nailed (secured in place) properly and/or the correct nail size and/or spacing or nail patterns were not used; E.  Steel straps or hold downs used to secure the wood framing and provide structural support were not installed in the building per the permit structural plans, in that, the correct number of hold down straps were not installed, and/or were not installed in all locations required by the permit plans.   As a result of the collapse, six (6) framing carpenters were trapped beneath the building's fallen structure and one worker was seriously injured.