Willful

The long awaited OSHA report on the Hard Rock collapse is now public.  Citations are issued to 10 different companies involved in the work which gives an idea of the systemic nature of the problem. One would think such comprehensive negligence would implicate the developer and general contractor.  But thanks to the acrobatic legalese of construction projects, they may or may not be held directly liable.

Anyway according to this article, OSHA points its most emphatic finger at Heaslip Engineering.

The OSHA citations include a "willful" violation filed against Heaslip for including steel connections that were "inadequately designed, reviewed or approved, affecting the structural integrity of the building." OSHA defines a willful violation as one in which "the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety."

Because I'm sure people are wondering, state dept of ethics filings show Heaslip Engineering and its owner James Heaslip have made campaign contributions to John Bel Edwards, Billy Nungesser, Joe Lopinto, Scott Walker, and John Young.  That's statewide office holders and some Jefferson Parish people.  I didn't see any contributions to New Orleans office holders BUT keep in mind this is just me doing a quick and dirty search. Also they do contribute to the New Orleans Home Builders Association which is a catch all construction PAC that spreads money around to everybody.

Also, in 2019, Heaslip was recognized by City Business for professional contributions to "Excellence in Construction and Real Estate" which is nice.