County releases video of year-old explosion at hospital construction site
SAN JOSE, Calif. (BCN) -- Santa Clara County released a video Tuesday depicting a steam explosion at a construction site that happened nearly a year ago to demonstrate the shortcomings of a general contractor it has defaulted on a $300 million contract with for a new hospital facility in San Jose.
The nearly five-minute video shows a construction worker narrowly escaping an explosion at a steam pipe on Sept. 3, 2014 at the North Utility Loop at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
New York-based Turner Construction Company was given a final default notice by the county on Friday.
Turner Construction was installing a new steam line it had designed and made in an underground vault, county project manager Ken Rado said in a letter dated Friday to Turner Vice President John de Ruiter.
Once completed, the loop project will provide steam, chilled water and other utility services to the medical center's facilities, county officials said.
The loop project would also serve a new 168-bed facility, which is part of a seismic retrofit project approved by voters in 2008 and is nearly three years behind its initial scheduled opening, Smith said.
In the beginning of the video, four or five construction workers are seen above ground and call on subcontractor employee Joel Ferreria to come out when they hear loud popping sounds coming from the new pipes.
One of the workers in the video said, "I wouldn't wanna be in that vault right now. Are you kidding me?"
The explosion occurs about 90 seconds into the recording as Ferreria is climbing out of the vault and heavy grayish-black smoke is rapidly coming out.
About a minute later Ferreria is seen laying on the ground near the vault entrance and is able to walk away on his own.
Ferreria did not suffer any burns from the explosion, but the workers were at risk for serious injuries and death, county officials said.
Turner Construction later told the county there were designs problems at the vault where the explosion happened and other parts of loop project, but have not been "adequately forthcoming with its re-design efforts," according to the letter by Rado.
In March, Turner Construction told the county of an independent engineering firm it hired to analyze the loop project's steam system that would be completed by the end of May, but the county has yet to receive the report, Rado said.
"For almost a full year, we have asked Turner to provide a complete analysis of why the accident occurred and a thorough plan on how they can prove the steam system is safe for employees, patients and the public," county Facilities and Fleet Department director Jeff Draper said in a statement.
"No progress has been made on the project since the accident last year due to Turner failing to get the appropriate permits demonstrating that their design is safe," Draper said.
In a statement issued Tuesday on the 2014 explosion, Turner Construction officials said they have "conducted a complete investigation and provided the results to the County.
"Turner continues its work and to offer proactive solutions while some County officials are attempting to divert attention from their mismanagement of this project," company officials said.
"We look forward to continuing discussions with the County to finalize plans to complete the hospital so that the community can benefit from its much-needed facilities," company officials said.