Two subcontractors have been cited for violations after a project manager was killed when a crane collapsed on a highway project in Florida.
Ryan Keith Haynes, 37, was operating an aerial lift for Concrete Impressions of Tampa on October 3, 2023, guiding and installing precast concrete panels for a sound barrier wall at the southbound on-ramp for toll road SR 417 at John Young Parkway in Orlando.
An operator for Adcock Cranes Inc. of Plant City was operating a 110 Liebherr crane with the right outriggers on the edge of a 70-degree slope. The outriggers were not fully extended, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
When the crane operator lifted and swung a 10,700-pound concrete panel, it put pressure on the rear right outrigger. The ground underneath collapsed. The crane toppled over and struck Haynes’ aerial lift, according to OSHA.
Haynes was trapped under the crane and died of his injuries. He was a veteran of the War on Terrorism, with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He entered the construction industry after his nine years of Army service as an ammunition specialist, according to his obituary.
OSHA Area Office Director Erin Sanchez in Orlando said the death could have been prevented had the contractors followed safety regulations. “Our investigation found Concrete Impressions and Adcock Cranes failed in their responsibilities to provide employees with a safe work environment.”
Adcock Cranes faces a proposed penalty of $16,131 for one serious violation for not ensuring the ground conditions were adequate to support the crane while lifting the sound barrier panels.
Concrete Impressions, which manufactures and installs sound barriers, faces a proposed penalty of $4,335 for one serious violation for exposing employees to a 6-foot fall-hazard for taking apart extension ladders to reach and rig the concrete sound barrier panels.
The general contractor on the project, Hubbard Construction Company of Winter Park, was not cited. Hubbard, however, was cited for a previous death on the project, part of the State Road 417 Corridor Capacity Improvements, when one of its employees was hit by a truck backing up. At 12:15 a.m. March 9, 2023, the 22-year-old laborer was walking down a hill on the turn of a highway exit ramp, stepped onto the road and was struck, according to OSHA. The 12,000-pound truck ran over him, and he was crushed to death.
Hubbard was issued a penalty of $15,625 for a serious violation for not instructing employees on struck-by hazards while working in close proximity to traffic inside the construction zone.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 12 crane operators died in 2022.
