Bay Bridge Welding Scandal: Welders' pace faster than feds believed

Production logs support workers' claims that they were urged to hurry up; investigations continue

Staff writers Sean Holstege and Jill Tucker from the Oakland Tribune report new findings...

Bay Bridge workers welded up to twice as fast as federal inspectors thought, according to independent documents from Caltrans, its contractor and a welding foreman.

Caltrans daily production logs for 574 individual welders' shifts between November 2003 and March 2005 are consistent with a central allegation by current and former welders who said they were pressured to hurry up. Many told investigators they saw, made or concealed bad welds in the drive to meet production demands and were rewarded with cash bonuses when they did.

Independent inspectors brought in by the Federal Highway Administration concluded last week that the workmanship was "excellent" on the three welds they carved out and tested. Those welds were madein March after contractor KFM Joint Venture was aware of the allegations.

In those FHWA reports, two inspectors said workers typically took 15 to 20 minutes to lay a full bead of metal and another 15 to 20 minutes between each such "pass" to set up the welding machine for another run. That's two passes an hour, or no more than 18 in a 10-hour shift with breaks, assuming no equipment glitches, which welders said were common.

Read the rest over at the Tribune site: http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_2733331