By SUSAN JONES
The University is cooperating fully in the investigation into the death of Aleia Lopez, a Pitt alum and an employee at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, on May 3, Chancellor Joan Gabel said at the May 9 Senate Council meeting.
Lopez, 51, was crushed when a steel cylinder rolled off the Arena and Sports Performance Center construction site next to the Petersen Events Center and onto Terrace Street.
Gabel said the city of Pittsburgh and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are leading two separate investigations of the accident.
“I want you to know that we’re fully committed to construction safety and worksite safety. Safety is our number one priority,” the chancellor said.
A Pitt spokesperson said the University “is carefully monitoring developments related to the ongoing investigations and will determine next steps for its construction projects when it has more information.”
The construction site was shut down for a couple days, but restarted after approval from the city and OSHA. The spokesperson said, “Initial supplemental safety actions have occurred on site, including the placing of concrete barriers at the base of the hillside slope, securing all construction equipment, and erecting a crane to resume work. Enhanced worker training has also taken place.”
“We very much mourn the passing of Aleia Lopez,” Gabel said at Senate Council. “I know you join me in sincere condolences to the family and friends and several members of our community and many of our partners who are very much affected by this tragic loss.”
Melanie Hall, mother of Aleia Lopez, has started a GoFundMe page for funeral costs and to support Lopez’s three children. As of May 16, the fund has raised more than $90,000 from 1,658 donors. The initial goal of the fundraising effort was $50,000.
Senate member Tom Songer, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, commented at Senate Council that, “It seems that safety culture is extremely important with a lot of construction going on on campus, and I think this is an opportunity for us to re-examine that culture, especially with new students coming in the fall term who are unaware of the risks that exist in our environment, which with no construction are meaningful risks.
“But now with a lot of construction, and especially the (UPMC) hospital on DeSoto Street, which is not even halfway complete in terms of the steel being added to the structure, … I think we need heightened awareness of the safety elements associated with our campus.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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