OSHA demands contractor take action after Washington Bridge demo sees 4th injury

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — One year ago, RIDOT awarded the initial bid for the Washington Bridge demo contract to Aetna and Director Peter Alviti discussed the reasons for the award publicly. One of those reasons Alviti mentioned was the use of “winged trailers” that would expedite the process. The only problem is that those winged trailers do not meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and standards. There is no way to guarantee the safety of the workers when they are used because they are custom machines that are not even street legal.

The blanket overweight permitting for Aetna’s subcontractor, J.R. Vinagro is now being held up by an OSHA complaint that was filed last week.

OSHA received seven potential violations and they have opted to move forward on the first two, demanding an answer in the attached letter to J.R. Vinagro. There are additional concerns not mentioned in the letter that are currently being researched. These concerns range from not properly testing the workers for lead exposure, to not having the proper protective siding on barges and boats.

In the last four weeks, J.R. Vinagro had three people fall into the water and crash into the substructure. All three people had head injuries and were rushed to the emergency room. In fact, two of their employees fell on the same day (6/17/25).

Meanwhile, an Aetna employee had a very serious injury when he fell from a barge into the substructure resulting in broken ribs. Despite four serious injuries J.R. Vinagro has made no changes to their equipment. 

While OSHA waits for J.R. Vinagro’s response and begins their investigation the state of R.I. is dealing with a director who is approving bids without knowing what is legal and illegal. We all want the bridge rebuilt quickly but who pays for these accidents? Does the fault fall on Vinagro for using unsafe equipment, or will the state have to pay because they approved it illegally?

Why is RIDOT waiving OSHA concerns for J.R. Vinagro?

The Washington Bridge demolition injuries are concerning and this isn’t the first mishap during demolition work.