Скачать или смотреть 51 Workers Fell 170 Feet. The Concrete Was Still Wet | Hidden America

On April 27, 1978, at 10:00 AM, 51 construction workers plummeted 170 feet to their deaths when scaffolding inside a cooling tower collapsed at Willow Island, West Virginia. It remains the deadliest construction accident in United States history. The workers were pouring concrete for the tower's 29th lift when the entire internal scaffolding system catastrophically failed—and investigators discovered the concrete they had poured just 20 hours earlier hadn't cured properly. It was still wet and weak when new loads were added above it. The construction company had ignored concrete curing time requirements to stay on schedule. Workers died because profit was prioritized over human safety and basic engineering standards.

This documentary reveals the untold story of the Willow Island disaster. We investigate why concrete with only 10% of required strength was loaded with scaffolding, workers, and equipment weighing many tons. We expose how a similar scaffolding collapse in 1976 killed 2 workers but was ignored by the industry. We examine the devastating impact on families: one family alone lost 4 of their 5 sons, plus a brother, 2 brothers-in-law, and 3 nephews—9 members of one extended family killed instantly. We reveal the inadequate response: OSHA fined the company $85,500 total ($1,676 per death), and a grand jury declined to indict anyone criminally. Most troubling, we explore why the warnings from this disaster failed to change industry practices, leaving future workers vulnerable to similar catastrophes.

Why were workers never told the concrete beneath them hadn't cured? Should executives have faced criminal charges for 51 deaths? Share your thoughts.

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