Investigations Begin in Tower Collapse

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FORDLAND, MO.—The Occupational and Safety Hazard Agency says it will examine the cause of the tower collapse in Fordland, Mo. yesterday that took the life of a 56-year old owner of a Washington-state tower company, according to KY3.com.

Steve J. Lemay was identified as the victim in the accident, which also injured three other crew members. Lemay had 25 years of experience and formed Steve Lemay LLC in 2013.  

 The tower hosted Ozarks Public Television 's KOZK-TV, a PBS affiliate owned by Missouri State University.

OSHA said it would investigate what caused the accident and if workers were complying with OSHA standards. The agency said workers had climbed approximately 100 feet up the nearly 2,000 foot tall tower when it collapsed.   

According to Ozarks Public Radio station KSMU, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office is also conducting an investigation and that other stations in the region are assisting in getting the station back on the air.   

Tom Butts
Tom Butts

Tom has covered the broadcast technology market for the past 25 years, including three years handling member communications for the National Association of Broadcasters followed by a year as editor of Video Technology News and DTV Business executive newsletters for Phillips Publishing. In 1999 he launched digitalbroadcasting.com for internet B2B portal Verticalnet. He is also a charter member of the CTA's Academy of Digital TV Pioneers. Since 2001, he has been editor-in-chief of TV Tech (www.tvtech.com), the leading source of news and information on broadcast and related media technology and is a frequent contributor and moderator to the brand’s Tech Leadership events.