SAK Builders fined over $16,000 after L&I investigation into Airway Heights construction site death

An area construction company was fined $16,800 by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries for an unsafe work environment that lead to the death of a construction worker this spring.

Ana Vetter died in March while on a crew building a new hotel at the Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights.

SAK Builders Inc., a concrete contractor company that is a subsidiary of Swinerton, which was the lead contractor on the project, was the only company fined related to Vetter’s death, according to L&I.

Vetter, 27, died due to a formwork collapse, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner. Formwork is a mold used to form concrete.

“My daughter was obsessive compulsive about safety,” Vetter’s father, Laveron Vetter, said. “The union is just safety, safety, safety. And for her to fall just crushes me. Just how could that possibly happen?”

L&I found SAK Builders had three serious violations at the construction site.

• The flipper deck, a working platform for employees doing formwork, was not sized correctly for the cores it was used in, according to the citation notice from L&I.

Employees worked on unstable surfaces that weren’t constructed in a way that would allow the flipper deck to meet the manufacturer’s maximum offset requirements, according to L&I.

• SAK Builders did not ensure the required safeguards and safety devices for the flipper deck were installed and used correctly, L&I found.

Specifically, the secondary safety pins for the toggle locks were not installed and the pocket formers which help support the flipper deck were not left in place as required by the manufacturer.

• SAK Builders did not ensure that the employees installing the flipper deck had access to the manufacturer’s safety documentation for the correct use and installation of the platform at all times.

SAK Builders was fined $5,600 for each serious violation. Fines from L&I are determined through a standardized formula that takes into account the company’s prior violation history, seriousness of the injury, and the company’s willingness to correct the issues, among other things.

According to L&I, SAK Builders removed the unsafe platform before the investigation was completed.

The citations were issued on July 19. SAK Builders did not have any prior fines or citations.

Representatives from the Southwest Carpenters’ Local 59, where Vetter was a member, declined to comment on the citations. Vetter’s husband, Michael Martin, directed all questions to his attorney.

Vetter’s father was appalled by how low the fine was.

“That’s nothing,” he said. “Being angry doesn’t bring her back but fining them and making them responsible for what they did is a totally different matter.”

Laveron Vetter has not seen the entirety of L&I’s investigation, just the citation, because inspections involving a death are confidential per Washington State Law.

SAK Builders did not respond to multiple requests for comment.