SWM, INC.

Two employees injured when bridge forming collapses

SWM, a bridge contractor, hired Advance Shoring Company to design and supply bri dge shoring for a poured concrete bridge. Material shortages resulted in a revis ed design being submitted by Advance Shoring and in SWM supplying some of its ow n forming materials. SWM did a final inspection of the forms at 3 p.m. and the p our began at 6 a.m. the following day. By 8:30 a.m., approximately 150 cubic yar ds (300 tons) of Redimix had been conveyed onto the forms when they collapsed. E mployees #1 and #2, and 14 coworkers, fell between 12 and 20 ft, along with the Redimix and rebar. Employees #1 and #2 were taken by ambulance to a hospital, tr eated for head lacerations, and released. Employees from both SWM and the Advanc e Shoring Company were involved in fall.