Construction workers die from racism, neglect
By
Brenda Ryan
Published Feb 9, 2008 9:33 AM
According to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,226
construction workers died in the U.S. from occupational injuries in 2006. This
averages out to three a day. It is one of the most dangerous professions, with
15.2 deaths per 100,000 workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health says only mining and agricultural work have higher death rates.
Construction deaths are labeled as accidents but in reality they are crimes of
capitalism, caused by companies that do not provide workers with training and
safety gear that can prevent these deaths.
This past Jan. 14, Yuriy Vanchytsky made front page headlines in New York City
newspapers when he fell 42 floors off the Trump Soho Hotel. He had been tamping
wet concrete into wooden molds when the molds collapsed. Witnesses reportedly
said that a crane had crashed into the side of the upper floors before the
accident.
On Jan. 22, a construction worker with Edison Heating and Cooling fell 30 feet
at a site in Jersey City. The radio station 1010 WINS briefly mentioned the
tragedy, noting that safety authorities plan to cite the construction company
for not having safety equipment on site.
It’s not likely to do any good. The contractor and subcontractor of the
Trump SoHo project—Bovis Lend Lease and DiFama Concrete Company—had
received 11 previous building code violations.
The following week another construction worker in Brooklyn died.
On Jan. 30, José Palacios, a construction worker in Brooklyn, fell 12
stories when the scaffolding he was standing on collapsed in strong winds.
According to the New York Times, the City Department of Buildings had issued a
warning to builders and contractors early that day instructing them to secure
construction materials and tools or cancel work until the winds subsided. The
article also noted that safety netting was not in use at that site since the
project was nearly done.
Another factor behind these deaths is racism. Many of those who die are
immigrants, who face abuse and indifference from their bosses. The Associated
Press reported in an Oct. 21 article that federal data from 1997 to 2006 showed
there was a more than 260 percent increase in construction deaths in New York
City involving Latin@s, from six in 1997 to 22 in 2006.
An examination of 2006 OSHA reports on New York construction fatalities
illustrates “workers were more likely to die on construction jobs if they
were foreign-born, Hispanic, spoke a language other than English, and worked
for a nonunion crew,” the AP article states. “They were also more
likely to die from injuries sustained from falls.”
Employers “impose modern slavery on workers,” on those they
describe as illegals, said El Chasqui, co-founder of Pachamama Ecuadorian
Alliance. “They make us work long hours for low wages, no benefits and
sometimes no pay.”
El Chasqui said immigrants come to the United States because of U.S. imposed
poverty in their countries and end up taking jobs they weren’t trained
for. The employers do not provide the training, so workers perform jobs
“based on common sense.”
They face constant danger on the job, working without safety gear and being
exposed to chemicals and contaminants. “Every day, every hour we have
this kind of situation,” said El Chasqui, who is an electrician.
“People have their hands cut off, their legs broken. They can’t pay
their medical bills. Sometimes they have to get up and go to work because their
families depend on them.”
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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