A Florida Institute of Technology professor who is an expert in construction management says he anticipates that OSHA is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the June 4 crane accident on Merritt Island that killed two concrete workers.
Albert Bleakley, a professor of construction management in Florida Tech’s Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, which is part of the College of Engineering and Science, said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation will include a “forensic analysis” of the circumstances that led up to the accident. The two construction workers who died on June 4 were placing a concrete column at the site of the future Health First Cape Canaveral Hospital off State Road 520 on Merritt Island when a nearby crane collapsed on top of them, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
The victims were identified as 34-year-old Isael Martinez of Haines City in Polk County and 57-year-old Hector Pozos of Kissimmee in Osceola County. Martinez was an employee of Baker Concrete, and Pozos was a day laborer who also was working for Baker Concrete.
Health First described the accident as weather-related.
Melissa Watson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said wind gusts of 51 mph and 47 mph were recorded in the area around the time of the accident.
What factors will be investigated
Bleakley said OSHA will be looking into various factors, including weather records at the time of the accident; construction staff training; site-specific safety plans; inspection records of the crane that collapsed; sensor information found on the cranes; and parameters in place that would order the stoppage of work on the site.
In addition, he said, OSHA investigators will interview witnesses to the accident. OSHA also will seek to determine whether the crane was part of the process used for placing the concrete column at the time of the accident; or if the workers who died were standing in the location where the crane collapsed but the crane was not being used in that procedure.
In AccuWeather’s report on the Merritt Island accident, the company’s chief meteorologist, Jonathan Porter, said high winds — particularly if they abruptly shift direction — are a concern within certain industries, including construction sites where cranes are involved and concert promoters who put on outdoor shows. He noted that winds can escalate before rain and lightning reach an area, potentially leaving businesses unprepared.
Construction at the Cape Canaveral Hospital site on Merritt Island is currently suspended while the investigation continues.
Bleakley said that is so investigators can “protect the evidence” at the accident scene.
Crane fatality statistics
Bleakley said there were 323 crane-related fatalities on construction sites nationwide from 1992 through 2006. Of those, 102 were related to contact with a power line; 68 involved a collapsing crane; and 59 involved a worker struck by a crane boom.
He said, while crane accidents are not the most common cause of construction fatalities — falls are, by far — crane accidents can have “catastrophic” results. He said that’s similar to there being many more car crashes than plane crashes, but the likelihood of dying in a plane crash is much higher than dying in a car crash.
Bleakley said twin-boom cranes like the one involved in this accident are more sensitive to high winds than a single-boom crane.
Bleakley — who teaches courses on safety on construction sites and on construction equipment, including cranes — said he believes the construction industry will be closely watching the result of the investigation of the Merritt Island crane accident. He noted, for example, that the widely followed construction-industry trade publication Engineering News-Record published a story on the accident.
Prior to joining Florida Tech in 2009, Bleakley served 29 years as an Army engineer officer, including as deputy commander of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division.
The BCSO Homicide Unit is conducting the death investigation, and OHSA is conducting the accident investigation. The BCSO said its investigation began at around 2 p.m. June 4, when the Sheriff’s Office received information that a crane had collapsed on the construction site.
More on the hospital project
Construction began in March 2024 on the new $410 million Cape Canaveral Hospital and Medical Office Building on Merritt Island.
It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, and open to the public in early 2027. The new 268,000-square-foot hospital will replace the existing Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach.
The new Cape Canaveral Hospital complex will include 120 private inpatient hospital beds; 25 emergency department treatment rooms; six operating rooms; and a three-story, 92,000-square-foot Medical Office Building.
With the investigation continuing, it is undetermined when the construction project will resume.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: ‘Forensic analysis’ is part of investigation into fatal crane accident on Merritt Island
Reporting by Dave Berman, Florida Today / Florida Today
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