Contractors failed to act while bridge welders suffered exposures
Welders working on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge were exposed for nearly a year to excessive levels of dangerous fumes — a condition the project's contractors apparently knew about and yet failed to either notify workers or correct the problem, state workplace safety inspectors found, according to the Alameda (Calif.) Times-Star.
During a nearly two-month inspection ending May 28, the California Department of Industrial Relations found serious health and safety violations, including ten months of worker exposure to manganese, welding and particulate fumes exceeding federal standards.