It almost goes beyond belief that people working on the 520 Bridge project would be drinking beer at their desks throughout the day. Can people really be that stupid?

Yet, that is what KOMO-TV clearly showed in a telecast Wednesday. Not only were workers tipping back a cold one, but also the KOMO-TV news crew saw, and filmed, two employees bringing in a half-rack (that’s a 12-can carton) of beer each, which KOMO later found, and showed, in a refrigerator in a lunch/break room.

As the person who tipped KOMO said of the beer drinking: “On Monday through Thursday, some people have one, two, three. On Friday, it’s a six-pack.”

The office – in Bellevue near the bridge construction project – is shared by KGM (a joint venture firm of Kiewit, General and Manson contractors) and the Washington State Department of Transportation. KOMO didn’t say whose employees were drinking on the job.

Representatives of both KGM and the state promptly said they are investigating the matter. State regulations prohibit government employees from drinking on the job, but it is inconceivable that anyone – state or private employees – would think it is acceptable to drink at work, especially given importance of the work being done.

KGM and the state need to reassure the public that they have a “no tolerance” policy for such behavior. One way to do this is to tell the public how many employees were responsible – and then fire them.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter