Uploaded February 2013 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
On April 23, 1987, the L' Ambiance Plaza building under construction in Bridgeport, Connecticut, collapsed killing 28 construction workers. This was the largest loss of life in a U.S. construction accident since 51 workmen were killed in the collapse of a reinforced concrete cooling tower under construction at Willow Island, Vest Virginia, in 1978. The probable cause of the collapse was determined to be loss of support at a lifting jack in the west tower during placement of a package of three upper level floor slabs. All the floor slabs fell, trapping the employees involved in the lifting operation and those on lower floors engaged in other phases of the construction. OSHA imposed a record $5.11 million in fines against companies it charged with responsibility for the collapse. Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA John Pendergrass said a six-month investigation had found ''a pattern of sloppy construction practices throughout the project and an overall sense of employer complacency for essential workplace safety considerations.''
On April 23, 1987, the L' Ambiance Plaza building under construction in Bridgeport, Connecticut, collapsed killing 28 construction workers. This was the largest loss of life in a U.S. construction accident since 51 workmen were killed in the collapse of a reinforced concrete cooling tower under construction at Willow Island, Vest Virginia, in 1978. The probable cause of the collapse was determined to be loss of support at a lifting jack in the west tower during placement of a package of three upper level floor slabs. All the floor slabs fell, trapping the employees involved in the lifting operation and those on lower floors engaged in other phases of the construction. OSHA imposed a record $5.11 million in fines against companies it charged with responsibility for the collapse. Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA John Pendergrass said a six-month investigation had found ''a pattern of sloppy construction practices throughout the project and an overall sense of employer complacency for essential workplace safety considerations.''
