Scaffold probe focuses on removal of metal tie
Investigators in fatal collapse asking if failure was mechanical or human
Investigators examining the Boston scaffolding collapse that killed three people have focused their probe on whether it was human or mechanical error that resulted in the disconnection of a metal tie that had secured the 3-ton platform to the building, possibly triggering the fatal plunge, according to a high-ranking city official.
The scaffold collapsed while it was being dismantled Monday afternoon, plummeting to a busy downtown street below and killing two construction workers on the platform and a young doctor driving on Boylston Street.
Federal inspectors determined yesterday that the construction site for the 14-story Emerson College dormitory and student center was safe, allowing traffic to flow again on Boylston Street and setting the stage for work there to resume.
City building inspectors filed a citation against Macomber Builders, which runs the construction site, for failing to protect the public safety. As a result, the South Boston firm must submit an accident report that includes preventive measures against future problems in order to get clearance from the city to resume construction, a process city officials said should take just days.
Exactly 24 hours after the collapse, Emerson students paused during classes in a silent tribute to the three accident victims, and dozens of tulips, daisies, and other flowers were tucked into the chain-link fence at the construction site. Pedestrians along Boylston could be seen crossing to the other side of the street in order to avoid the accident scene.
''I think there is so much to think about," said Emerson freshman Mallory Hoff, who observed the moment of silence. ''We're all just still trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle."
Federal, state, and city investigators piecing together the tragedy have focused on the process of dismantling the hydraulic, mast-climbing work platform that started Monday, authorities said.
The process required removal of a series of metal ties that attached the scaffold to the building. Investigators are focused on how the disconnection of the final tie might have led to the collapse, said the high-ranking official, who has been briefed by investigators and spoke on condition of anonymity, because the investigation was ongoing.
However, all the officials interviewed yesterday cautioned that the probe is in its earliest stages and that no conclusions have been reached.
''We are trying to determine what happened and why," said Ted Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the lead agency in the investigation. ''If OSHA finds violations of safety standards, we can issue fines and citations to the employers."
Gary P. Moccia, Boston's chief building inspector, said a range of causes is being examined. ''Human error is certainly a possibility," he said.
Moccia and William J. Good, the city's acting commissioner of inspectional services, will review Macomber's safety plan to decide when the construction site can reopen.
''Under the building code, they [Macomber] have the ultimate responsibility for safety at the site," said Good. ''At this point, the only thing we can say with any certainty is that the accident happened while the platform was being dismantled."
One of the deceased construction workers, Robert Beane, 41, of Baldwinville had extensive experience using the scaffold, according to a friend.
''He took all the training they offered," said Brian Chipman, 41, of Gardner. ''. . . I don't know what could have gone wrong."
Beane and the other dead worker -- Romildo Silva, 27, of Somerville -- worked for Bostonian Masonry Corp. of East Walpole and were putting limestone panels on the Emerson building's exterior just before they died, authorities said.
Bostonian Masonry, a subcontractor to Macomber on the project, released a statement yesterday saying: ''We are working in close cooperation with government inspectors and regulators to understand as quickly as possible how this accident occurred so that we can take steps to be sure it never happens again."
Macomber officials had no comment yesterday.
A friend of a construction worker who narrowly escaped the accident said the three workers had been about to place a final piece of limestone on that side of the building's facade when the scaffold toppled.
Shawn Armeen, 34, of Nashua managed to jump from the scaffold into the hole where the limestone panel was to be placed, according to his father, Ben, and former co-worker Jack Johnson.
Dave Bolognese, a Bostonian Masonry foreman who said he had previously worked on the Emerson project, said workers there had been laboring two shifts a day, seven days a week to try to get the building ready for the next school year, an effort that has left many of the workers exhausted.
''The pressure is unbelievable," said Bolognese.
Emerson College officials said that from the outset, the project had been scheduled to open this fall.
''It's going to open September 2006, and that was stated at the outset of construction," said Emerson spokesman David Rosen. ''We expect it to be finished on time if work resumes within a week."
Suzanne Smalley and Adrienne P. Samuels of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Mishra can be reached at rmishra@globe.com; Slack at dslack@globe.com. 