Victims, families deserve thorough investigation into Boise building collapse | Opinion
The building collapse Wednesday at the Boise Airport is a tragic event that obviously demands a full investigation.
Three people were killed and nine others injured, with five in critical condition, when a building under construction collapsed. It was going to be a hangar for the Jackson Jet Center next door.
We don’t know yet what caused the collapse, but it will be incumbent upon investigators to look at every possible cause.
A photo of the construction site before the collapse shows at least four mobile cranes working on a building that included massive steel beams.
Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating, which is a good thing. OSHA investigates workplace health and safety, which is important to determine whether any deficiencies in working conditions contributed to the collapse.
But hopefully the investigation is broadened to look at all conditions that may have led to the disaster.
Were the cranes faulty or undersized? Did wind play a factor? Were there problems with the materials being used? An error in construction?
Those aren’t the only important questions. Were inspections done on the site? Were they done frequently enough? Who was responsible for doing the work site inspections?
Many of these questions should be answered in the course of an investigation, and if there is blame to be placed, the proper punishment is meted out.
If it turns out that corrective action is needed, then hopefully proper changes in procedures or inspections can be made in order to prevent another tragedy like this from occurring.
The people who were killed and injured, and their families, deserve nothing less.
Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members Mary Rohlfing and Patricia Nilsson.
