Fire official: Liberty Bridge contractor didn't have proper permit

The company responsible for the fire that closed and nearly collapsed the Liberty Bridge was not following city permitting and safety requirements when torch sparks ignited plastic pipes and a tarp on the Monongahela River crossing, Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones said Friday.

In addition to lacking proper “hot work” permits, Jones said the city's investigation found West Deer-based Joseph B. Fay Co. didn't have a dedicated fire watch employee overseeing the steel cutting or fire suppression equipment on site. Those safety measures are required to obtain a permit and intended to prevent accidents such as the Sept. 2 fire that resulted in a 24-day bridge closure. An average of 55,000 vehicles a day use the bridge.

“It was an accident, but all accidents can be avoidable, and we have codes and processes to try to limit the chance of there being an accident,” Jones said. “Perhaps if they were followed a little more closely, this wouldn't have happened.”

Fay officials declined an interview request Friday, but in a written statement disputed the investigation findings Jones described.

The city's fire bureau “was afforded the opportunity to review the incident management plan for the Liberty Bridge work before it began,” the Fay statement said, and added that Jones was invited to an April 13 meeting that included an overview of the renovation work and cutting operations. Jones sent a representative to the meeting, according to the statement.“No feedback was received at that meeting, nor was there any mention of a permit being required,” according to the statement. “We had fire watch on the bridge throughout our cutting operations and during the incident, as well as fire extinguishers and water hoses.”

Jones said if such measures were in place, Fay might need to review them.

“Because obviously there was a catastrophic failure in their plan,” he said.

Jones also said Fay has not obtained the permits required to perform hot work at the Birmingham Bridge, where Fay is overseeing a $28.7 million rehabilitation project. That project involves work that company officials described as similar to the Liberty Bridge work.

Jones did not know whether hot work has been or will be performed at the Birmingham Bridge, and company representatives declined to answer questions about that span Friday.

Jones said he's not concerned about Fay's ongoing work in the city and said “reasonable and reputable” contractors strive to comply with permitting and safety rules.

“This contractor has been in the city for numerous years,” Jones said. “They've had permits from us in the past. This year, they didn't come in and get one, so I don't know if something slipped through the cracks. But these are not bad guys. This was not an intentional incident. This was an accident, so I'm not concerned about public safety at their other work sites, and they don't have a history of doing this.”

He said city officials issued a citation to Fay for performing hot work without a permit. The company could be fined as much as $1,000, but Jones said it will be up to a magistrate to uphold or dismiss the fine.

Fay's statement said the company had not received a citation as of Friday.

The bridge fire remains under investigation by the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a spokeswoman said.

Michael Walton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at 412-380-5627.