 Reforming Project Management |
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Sunday, December 21, 2003
OSHA Betrays Dead Man's Family
After OSHA concluded that Linda Moeves', owner of Moeves Plumbing, willful inherent disregard of safe work practices led to the death of 22 year-old Patrick E. Walters when he was buried alive in the cave-in of a trench, OSHA then negotiated away the willful designation, reduced the fine, and set-back safe work practices in the process. The New York Times thankfully has taken up the cause. In the first of three articles in the series When Workers Die, David Barstow reveals the collusion and ineptitude of the federal agency chartered to protect workers from unscrupulous and irresponsible actions of employers. You must read this article and return each day for the following two articles. The article describes the inspectors' actions to bring about training and safe practices at Moeves Plumbing. I don't understand what training is necessary. The information is readily available and understandable to all in OSHA's Construction Industry Digest. Here's the relevant text from pages 26 and 27:
Patrick E. Walters did not have to die. Nor do over 1,200 other people who die in construction-related incidents each year. Swift prosecution is the only thing that will have company managers take their responsibilities seriously. OSHA knows that and doesn't do it. In a page from OSHA's website OSHA Saves Lives they describe an incident just like Patrick Walters. They make no mention of levying fines. "Get out of that trench," OSHA Inspector Robert Dickinson ordered a worker in an unshored, unsloped, unsafe trench by the side of the road near El Paso, Texas. Good thing El Paso Assistant Area Director Mario Solano had spotted the trench earlier on September 13, 2001 and sent Dickinson and Elias Casillas to check it out. Because 30 seconds after the employee left the trench, the wall near where he had been standing collapsed. Heeding the compliance officer's warning and order to leave the trench kept the worker from experiencing a serious, perhaps life-threatening injury. It read's like OSHA believes it's own PR. OSHA inspectors are not there to prevent an injury. They are there to see that systems and practices are in place for preventing all injuries. Nothing has changed just look at the numbers: 2002 (1,121), 2001 (1,225), 2000 (1,155), 1999 (1,191), 1995-1999 Avg (1,115) (collected from US BLS 2000, US BLS 2001, US BLS 2002). Please join David Barstow and the New York Times bring about a reform at OSHA. Link to the article. Link to this posting. Write Russell B. Swanson, OSHA's Director of Construction, at bswanson@dol.gov, John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor OSHA, at this form, or Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor at this form. And write members of congress.Visit the Archives for more postings |
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