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The Occupational Health and Safety Administration did not issue any citations in connection with the incident last year that killed a construction worker at Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe in Franklin County.
Stephen Garrett Graby, 30, was crushed to death by a concrete wall that fell after a beam became unstable, according to OSHA’s post-incident inspection report for High Structural Erectors, of Lancaster, Pa. The partial collapse happened on Aug. 30 at the construction site of a new production line at the Chambersburg bakery famous nationally for its potato rolls.
In a letter to the company’s safety manager, which Public Opinion obtained this week through a Freedom of Information Act request filed April 10, OSHA Area Director Kevin Chambers said that while OSHA would not cite the company for “failing to protect employees from struck by and crushing hazards,” he recommended the company “voluntarily” take steps to improve safety of employees.
Chambers specifically recommended High Structural Erectors, also known as High Steel Structures, develop a policy to confirm pre-fabricated structures are stable before employees begin working underneath them. The company complied with his request to submit a letter describing how the company would address the safety concerns, Chambers told the Public Opinion.
OSHA also completed inspections at the construction site at Martin’s headquarters off Wayne Road, Guilford Township, for general contractor Wohlsen Construction, of Harrisburg, and Sautter Crane Rental, of Philadelphia. No violations were found, according to the inspection reports.
Why did the wall fall? Here’s what OSHA said.
Graby was part of a team of nine people who were assembling a section of a structure using pre-fabricated walls, roof slabs, beams and columns.
Two workers, one on the roof and another on the ground, noticed a beam that was set up to accept the final roof slab was shifting.
The foreman directed workers to remove themselves from the structure. The plan was to remove one of the roof slabs and readjust the beam.
Read the initial breaking news story: One is dead after building collapses at Martin’s Potato Rolls construction site, police say
However, “within seconds the interior section that was previously erected collapsed taking down one of the exterior walls on the Southwest side of the structure,” the inspection report states. The collapse happened about 2:07 p.m.
Two workers who had been on the roof made it down just in time. Graby, who had been doing grouting work on the northwest side of the structure, was the only person unaccounted for. Another grouter escaped.
Graby’s body was recovered from the rubble more than seven hours after the first emergency responders arrived at the construction site just south of Chambersburg.
What is the status of the Martin’s expansion project?
A spokesperson for Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe said the company had no comment regarding OSHA’s findings.
“Out of respect for the family of the deceased subcontractor, we prefer not to make any comments,” said Julia Martin, social media manager.
She did not address questions about when the new production line is expected to be completed and how the construction accident affected the timeline, and she did not respond to a follow-up question by deadline.
At an event five months before the accident, Tony Martin, president of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, said the project was ahead of schedule.
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Ground was broken in December 2021. It marks the 10th expansion to the bakery’s headquarters.
The new bakery line will have about 260,000 square feet of additional production capacity, according to a news release on the groundbreaking. The project also includes a 16,000-square-foot cold dock to supply frozen products for export to international distribution partners.
Graby ‘was in the best time of his life’
Graby, who was born in Lancaster County and spent his whole life there, lived his life with “inspirational courage and simple humility,” his family wrote in his obituary.
“With every challenge, he gathered himself, took responsibility, and stood back up to try again. At the time of his passing his efforts were paying off, finding purpose and a wonderfully supportive faith community. He was in the best time of his life.”
Despite preferring to stay in the background, Graby effortlessly drew people to him and brought out their best qualities, the obituary states. He always said “I love you” before leaving home.
Fishing, playing with his dogs, taking road trips and spending time with his grandparents were among Graby’s favorite things to do. A certified welder, he loved being an ironworker and building something tangible.
Graby’s family said he always carried with him a list of directions by which he lived every day of his life:
Start each day with a task.
Find someone to help you through life.
Life is not fair, move forward.
Respect everyone.
Don’t be afraid to fail often.
Take risks.
Face down the bullies.
Step up when times are toughest.
Lift up the downtrodden.
Never give up.
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