ABOUT THIS PROJECT
The long planned hotel and entertainment project scoped for 1031 Canal Street was meant to help revitalize the Canal Street corridor and play a central role in regrowing our city and our tourism and hospitality industries.
When the project was announced in February 2018 city leaders, tourism officials and economic development specialists embraced this world class concept as a badly needed “shot in the arm” for our city and region.
With 350 hotel rooms, more than 60 private residences, 4 dynamic meeting spaces, two ballrooms and more than 12,000 square feet of prime event space, 1031 Canal promised to be a welcome addition to our city’s hospitality landscape and a new attraction for visitors from all over the world who have never before visited our city.
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the New Orleans Office of Inspector General (OIG) were tasked with investigating issues related to the collapse. Nothing in their separate findings implicate the developer of 1031 Canal as being in any way responsible for the accident.
At all times, the developer relied on experienced professionals, including Heaslip Engineering and Hub Steel, to determine the means and methods to safely construct the building, including specifying the size and type of all beams, columns and connections. After a thorough investigation, OSHA specifically did not implicate ownership or the developer in any way, but cited Heaslip and Hub Steel regarding multiple structural failures. It is indisputable that at no point did Heaslip, Hub Steel or anyone else raise to ownership any concerns regarding the building’s structural integrity.
ARTICLES THAT SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT
OSHA Assigns Blame in Report on Hard Rock Collapse (Biz New Orleans)
“The citations OSHA issued against Heaslip include a “serious violation” that alleges “floor beams on the 16th floor were under-designed” for the loads they would need to support. They also include a “willful violation” alleging “structural steel connections were inadequately designed, reviewed or approved, affecting the structural integrity of the connections.”
The latter violation stated the engineer should “ensure the number and size of bolts for the connection is designed to meet or exceed the anticipated loads.”
Separately, the New Orleans OIG’s investigation concluded that city inspectors failed to do their jobs while the building was being constructed, behavior that is part of a well-documented pattern of falsifying inspection records at numerous sites across the city. If they had performed their duties as required, this tragedy may have been avoided completely.
Please see the below media reports for more information regarding the OSHA and OIG investigations and findings.
“…Heaslip [Engineering] created hazards for workers on the eighth through 18th floors by inadequately designing, reviewing and approving structural steel connections.”
“The engineer [Heaslip] has to be held accountable in this case because the contractor builds what’s on the approved plans or on the RFI (a document where contractors can request and receive information). They’re not engineers,” he said. “That’s what he’s responsible for, the engineer, is to make sure it doesn’t fall down.
OSHA has already issued violations against the engineer of record, Heaslip Engineering, and the steel contractor, Hub Steel.”
“[Hub Steel], a steel contractor, is allegedly accused of violations that harmed the building’s structural integrity.”
OSHA Cites Engineer, 10 Contractors (Construction Dive)
“After a months-long investigation, OSHA has cited and fined 11 firms in connection with the October 2019 partial collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans” and specifically did not cite ownership or the developer in any way.
Read the OSHA Report [CLICK HERE]
Inspector General recommends charges against two more Hard Rock Hotel inspectors (WAFB)
“The New Orleans Office of Inspector General has recommended charges be filed against two additional city inspectors who likely did not physically inspect the Hard Rock Hotel construction site before its collapse.”
OSHA issues citations to those responsible for New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel collapse (WSWS)
“In the last month, at least three city building inspectors have been suspended with another allowed to resign after it was found they signed off on inspections, the Hard Rock Hotel project and many others, without having visited the sites in person.”
“In addition, an investigation of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits found that city employees had falsified inspection reports, approving construction without visiting the site as required. One of the missed inspections occurred 11 days prior to the collapse.”
“There have been no criminal implications filed or responsibility levied against the owners of the site.”
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS