PHILADELPHIA(KYW Newsradio) — The search for the construction workers who went missing after the fatal parking garage collapse in Grays Ferry on Wednesday afternoon has been put on hold until the structure is deemed safe for crews to enter.
Once the search and rescue part of the operation is complete, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will take the lead to find out the cause of the collapse.
Personal injury lawyer Aidan Carickhoff is a partner at Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky. The Philadelphia-based firm specializes in construction accidents and collapse cases.
"It should never be the case that men and women on the job site do not return home safely,” he said.
Once OSHA begins investigating the cause, he said, the precast decking materials used on the roof and in the stairwell of the construction project will likely be the focus.
"OSHA will be sorting through the rubble, looking at whether the rebar and other pieces of concrete were connected correctly, whether installation and spec codes were done correctly, and whether there were any defects in the design or manufacturing of that precast decking material."
Carickhoff said OSHA could take six months or more to complete its final report.
