I have a B.S. degree in safety/accident prevention from Illinois State University. I serve as an adjunct faculty member in the safety studies program and also serve as the Chair of the Safety Studies Program Advisory Board at a major university. I am a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), having earned the highest professional certification available. My CSP designations include Construction Safety and Safety Management. I can speak to the standard of care for the general contractor and each individual contractor is defined as a legal matter and as an operational matter. Over the course of my professional career, I have had the opportunity to visit thousands of active construction sites. This includes working directly with numerous contractors involved in the construction of bridges. I have a strong familiarity with steel beams. I have assisted companies in the development and implementation of relevant policies and procedures, as well as associated employee training. It is often the case that alternatives exist to the operations, conditions, tools, and equipment that were in use at the time of an accident. While I do not know the specifics of why this happened in this specific case, it is sometimes true that factors such as cost, access, project timing, and other relevant factors are re-evaluated after a conclusion. A proper job/task analysis completed at any time prior to this accident would have indicated the safest and best approach to each operation. Presuming that an unusually extreme quantity of materials have not been produced in this case, I can guarantee the allocation of adequate time to properly review the materials and prepare a report within a month of assignment. I have provided training on many occasions on issues relevant to this case. This has included fall protection, proper selection and use of equipment, selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE), employee training, job oversite, supervisory responsibilities, and OSHA compliance.
