$16K, that will sure teach 'em.
Vetter, 27, died due to a formwork collapse, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner. Formwork is a mold used to form concrete.
"My daughter was obsessive compulsive about safety,” Vetter’s father, Laveron Vetter, said. “The union is just safety, safety, safety. And for her to fall just crushes me. Just how could that possibly happen?”
L&I found SAK Builders had three serious violations at the construction site.
The flipper deck, a working platform for employees doing formwork, was not sized correctly for the cores it was used in, according to the citation notice from L&I.
Employees worked on unstable surfaces that weren’t constructed in a way that would allow the flipper deck to meet the manufacturer’s maximum offset requirements, according to L&I.
SAK Builders did not ensure the required safeguards and safety devices for the flipper deck were installed and used correctly, L&I found.
Specifically, the secondary safety pins for the toggle locks were not installed and the pocket formers which help support the flipper deck were not left in place as required by the manufacturer.
SAK Builders did not ensure that the employees installing the flipper deck had access to the manufacturer’s safety documentation for the correct use and installation of the platform at all times.
16k for a death??
Yep, just another “cost of doing business” for the builder. The big worry is of course the cost to the Company of finding another skilled worker willing to risk their neck for low pay and abuse, and the cost of project delays.
Want to know more about what happened and what’s being done to remedy the safety problems at the job site? Well just piss off, because
Laveron Vetter has not seen the entirety of L&I’s investigation, just the citation, because inspections involving a death are confidential per Washington State Law.
You, peon, do not have a Need To Know. Of course you can always ask the Company.
SAK Builders did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
