On Thursday evening February 19th, the WTS-Boston Professional Development Committee was excited to host a virtual Book Club with Patricia (Patty) Leavenworth to discuss Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles into the Darkness by Neil Swidey.  Patty is Acting District 2 Highway Director and Western Massachusetts Director of Operations and is intimately familiar with the design challenges and safety concerns that come with major construction projects.  The selected book tells the thrilling true story that takes place in our own backyard during the construction of the Deer Island wastewater facility and the tunnel that carries the treated water 10 miles beneath Boston Harbor into the open ocean. The book focuses on the project’s final construction activity for the Deer Island tunnel, which was the removal of the temporary plugs (in place for construction) to allow the treated water to be released into the ocean. Patty moderated the discussion as the group explored the most poignant themes of the book: safety and liability. As we dissected the multiple missteps taken by each party involved in the project: Owner, Owner’s Representative, Designer, Contractor, Sub-contractor, and OSHA; we all found ourselves asking the question of ‘could this have happened today?’

We started the evening by discussing our group’s limited knowledge of the incident prior to reading the book, although many attendees could easily recall the foul state of the Harbor which prompted the Deer Island project.  The discussion then pivoted to the contentious relationship between the Contractor and owner’s team for the proposed approaches for removal of the plugs. Schedule, budget, safety, and liability were at the heart of the disputes and our conversations. We struggled to comprehend how the key players positioned themselves in a stalemate citing, first and foremost, concerns of worker’s safety; but ultimately moved forward with an untested technology without the possibility for rescue.

The discussion then continued with Patty, and other attendees, sharing their own personal and, at times, traumatic work experiences where the theme of schedule, budget, and liability came at odds with safety.

In addition to the safety issues with the primary breathing system, the group also zeroed-in on the lack of contingency plan in the event of an emergency. Patty shared the preparation that took place as part of MassDOT’s FAST 14 project which went through vigorous scenario planning exercises prior to initiating construction.  The scenario planning identified several uncertainties with different “realities” of what might happen to plan for setbacks. This mitigated risk for all parties involved and set the operations up for success in the face of uncertainty.

The last theme the group reflected on are the long-term impacts that the event had on the survivors and the families of the victims. Patty and others noted the progress that has been made in the mental health services offered to employees who experience trauma and loss at the workplace. We all ended the discussion by agreeing that the question we should be asking isn’t ‘could this have happened today?’, but rather ‘how can we actively contribute to making sure something like this doesn’t happen today?’  In closing the group made a pledge to embrace a safety culture, share experiences and lessons learned, and to spread safety awareness.