Thousands of construction workers descended on
hurricane-ravaged areas just weeks after Sandy left tracks across the
northeast. The question arises whether or not there is enough professional construction
management and safety inspectors in the region to safely manage the influx of thousands of
skilled tradesmen and unskilled laborers.
The NY Daily News reported that
1.
At the
height of the Sandy cleanup, workers without protection fell from roofs, were
shocked by exposed wires and injured by chemicals, records show.
2.
Federal inspectors
patrolling flooded neighborhoods in New York City, New Jersey and Long Island
encountered 3,100 instances of unsafe job conditions, removing some 7,900 workers
from hazards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.
3.
Although
OSHA found thousands of cleanup workers doing jobs in unsafe conditions, almost no one was
punished: OSHA issued violations in only 32 cases, imposing minimal fines
between $1,000 and $11,600 that totaled just $141,934. In nearly every case,
OSHA simply warned contractors to fix the problem and took no further action.
Do contractor and subcontractor bosses know how to secure the
work area? If so, why are there so many violations?
Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforces safe
work place regulations. According to OSHA’s website, a new initiative was started
today to promote safety for temporary workers:
The
U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today
announced an initiative to further protect temporary employees from workplace
hazards. The announcement was made during a program at the department's
headquarters marking Workers' Memorial Day – an annual observance to honor
workers who have died on the job and renew a commitment to making work sites
across the country safer.
OSHA
today sent a memorandum to the agency's regional administrators directing field
inspectors to assess whether employers who use temporary workers are complying
with their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Inspectors will use a newly created code in their information system to denote
when temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. Additionally,
they will assess whether temporary workers received required training in a
language and vocabulary they could understand. The memo, which can be viewed at
http://s.dol.gov/ZM, underscores
the duty of employers to protect all workers from hazards.
"On Workers' Memorial
Day, we mourn the loss of the thousands of workers who die each year on the job
from preventable hazards," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of
labor for occupational safety and health. "Many of those killed and
injured are temporary workers who often perform the most dangerous jobs
have limited English
proficiency and are not receiving the training and protective measures
required. Workers must be safe, whether they've been on the job for one day or
for 25 years."
The language barrier is a safety hazard. If anyone has been a
member of a multilingual work force they will know that the management doesn’t
repeat the work instructions a second or third time in different languages. If the management is
Anglo, typically the instructions are given once in English and unauthorized
translations occur among the non-English speaking workers. Vice-versa, if the
management is Hispanic, typically the instructions are given once in Spanish and
unauthorized translation is given to non-Spanish speaking workers. Working in
hazardous conditions multiply the hazards by having linguistic deficient
labeling of caustic or acidic chemicals, radioactive substances, inflammable
materials, electrical, toxic, and biological hazards.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration offers affordable
training at their Online Campus on the Internet. There is a ten-hour courses in
Construction Training and another ten-hour course in General Industry training.
There are also thirty-hour courses for Construction and General Industry. There
courses aren’t free, just under $200, but they certainly would cost less than
fine, a law suit, plus legal fees and bad publicity.
How much does safety cost?
Hard Hat are probably the most important piece of equipment
construction workers have. They are not expensive. There several brands
available for less than $50. Most of these are less than $20. Google “hard hat brands” and you will find a
wide assortment for cranial protection.
Steel-toed work boots are the other important pieces of
protective equipment necessary for safety on a construction site. Some manager
won’t allow workers on the site without them. A quick Internet search for steel-toed
work-boots uncovers some very interesting products. There are steel-toed
sneakers for about $110. Florsheim and Timberland have a casual steel-toed shoe
for under $140 for the general contracting executive who is going from the
board meeting in midtown to a construction site on the Upper East Side. Heavy-duty
steel-toed boots that cover mid-calf are around $200.
Work gloves are very important for safety, too. Gloves protect the hands from the cold, heat.
Work gloves protect the hands from work. They are made from a variety of materials
from cloth, cloth rubberized for fingers and palms, insulated rubber gloves for
electrical work, insulated leather for high temperatures. The prices range from
$1 to over $60.
Goggles are important for eye safety. They protect the eyes
from dust, chemicals, sparks, sand, grit,
and smoke. There are inexpensive over the glass goggles for available
for under $5 on up to $75. Googling goggles uncovered safety glasses that are
less cumbersome to wear than goggles.
Ear plugs may safely protect the ear from loud noises that could cause
injury. For added protection there are safety ear muffs that may also include
AM/FM radio. There may be Bluetooth ear muffs to provide a channel for music CD
and DVD players. There is 30 dB protection for under $30 without a radio. With a
tunable AM/FM radio there is 26 dB protection for about $100. There is less
protection available at a lower price, 22 dB safety ear muffs for about $75.Protective masks vary in purpose from keeping dust out of the nostrils to covering the entire to protect face and eyes from blinding light and searing heat from arc welding, acetylene torch showering hot metal sparks, or toxic fumes from fires to prevent smoke inhalation. There also safety masks for dust, safety masks for chemicals, and safety masks for asbestos.
A surgical mask is about $8. More advanced safety filtration masks are about $20. A welder mask prices are in the range under $200 to over $300. Gas masks can cost from $30 to $300. Firefighters masks price are within this range but usually are less than $100.
Most volunteers who want to help in Hurricane Sandy damaged areas thinking they should show up with a mop, broom and shovel, would not be adequately protected from potential hazards on the ground, inside buildings moldering, stagnant water harboring microorganisms, raw sewage, other forms of chemical and biological contamination.
The cost of the essential protective gear is prohibitive for
most laborers to pay out of pocket. Hard hats, steel-toed boots, safety
glasses, work gloves, face masks total nearly $400. Gloves and masks are
expected to wear out before the contract ends. A general contractor may spend
$500 on protective gear on a contract every two months. This is probably why a lot
of workers are not adequately protected.
