SALT LAKE CITY — Inspectors have issued a $1,000 fine to a company whose crane triggered a power outage in the Sugarhouse neighborhood this summer.
The subcontractor cited, Empyre Builders, of Lehi, did not return messages seeking comment on Friday.
According to a report FOX 13 obtained through a public records request, inspectors from Utah Occupational Safety and Health determined an unlicensed person was operating the crane. The report said a qualified person had been supervising someone with less experience, but that supervisor was elsewhere on the job site when the accident happened.
Empyre was a subcontractor on a housing complex under construction at 900 E. 2200 South.
What was described in the report as a “microburst” hit the construction site. Winds pushed the crane. The cables leading to the crane’s hook struck the electrical lines.
No one was injured. About 12,000 homes or businesses lost power – some for hours.
One photo included in the report showed how electricity traveled down the crane, burnt the wood cribbing and uplifted concrete at the crane’s foundation.