MILWAUKEE — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is now working to find out what went wrong in an incident that left two construction workers dangling from scaffolding at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on Thursday, following an apparent equipment failure.
"I'm just glad that our first responders and fire department were able to save the two gentlemen's lives and that there were no injuries," said County Executive David Crowley.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon. OSHA's task is to determine whether Berglund Construction, the company contracted by the county to complete the project, is at all to blame for the dangerous situation.
Related: Workers rescued from above courthouse after suspended scaffolding collapses (tmj4.com)
"I have heard about some of the things related to the equipment malfunction, but at the end of the day, right now there's an investigation, and I think we should allow that investigation to play out so that we can have a better understanding of exactly what happened on that roof," said Crowley.
Watch: OSHA responds after courthouse scaffold rescue; TMJ4 uncovers previous violation
As OSHA determines if Berglund Construction violated any workplace safety or health regulations, the TMJ4 Lighthouse Team is looking into the company and its past.
Similar projects to the one being done at the courthouse were successfully completed at both the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Milwaukee Zeidler Municipal Building.
The company has previously received one OSHA violation in Wisconsin. That was after an employee improperly used a ladder during a project in 2020. Online records show the company received a safety violation and a $4,588 fine.
This glimpse into the construction company's past comes as investigators work to learn what went wrong at the courthouse Thursday afternoon.
"From my vantage point, there should be no work happening until we have a better understanding of what exactly happened to ensure this doesn't occur in the future," said Crowley.
OSHA said it could take up to six months to complete its investigation and issue any citations or propose penalties.
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