Construction superintendent dies after on-the-job injury at Wichita’s new water plant
Work has been suspended at the Wichita Northwest Water Treatment Facility after a superintendent for one of the companies building the new water plant was fatally injured on the job.
Family members have identified the man as 55-year-old Manuel Esparza, of Wichita, a superintendent for UCI Industrial Construction Services, a subcontractor on the Wichita Water Partners team hired by the city of Wichita.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into Esparza’s death, city officials confirmed Friday.
Neither the city nor Wichita Water Partners — a joint-venture headed by Missouri companies Burns & McDonnell and Alberici — would give any details of the circumstances surrounding Esparza’s injury or death.
A Burns & McDonnell spokesperson said in a written statement that “an employee of a subcontractor was fatally injured at the Wichita Northwest Water Facility project site” around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
“Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and co-workers,” said Meghan Jansen of Burns & McDonnell, spokesperson for Wichita Water Partners. “All work activities on-site have been stopped until further notice. We are committed to working closely with those on the investigation.”
Wichita city officials initially declined to comment on the workplace fatality at the largest capital project in the city’s history, directing all questions to Wichita Water Partners.
On Friday afternoon, city spokesperson Megan Lovely said “our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the individual who passed.”
“I’m sure that Eagle readers will understand the sensitivity surrounding the loss of an individual’s life and respect that Wichita Water Partners cannot say more at this time,” Lovely said in a written statement. “Wichita Water Partners, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), are actively investigating the tragic incident that occurred at the under-construction water treatment facility . . . to assure site safety.”
UCI Industrial Construction Services is a subcontractor on the Wichita Water Partners team that is building the half-billion dollar project. The team was at the center of a 2019 controversy on the plant’s bidding process. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2024.
The new plant, located near 21st and Zoo Boulevard, would replace the city’s single water treatment plant, which is more than 80 years old and in poor condition.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 6:42 PM.