Workers injured as form collapses

Jeffrey Libby

Monday, Sept. 24, 2001 | 10:30 a.m.

A form holding about 12,000 pounds of freshly pumped concrete collapsed Friday at the construction site of the Henderson municipal parking garage, taking with it staging and an entryway beam.

Two workers were injured in the accident, which was the first in 11 months of construction at the 4 1/2-story, $7.2 million structure behind City Hall, at the corner of Basic Road and Lead Street.

Most of the workers, all of them employed by Precision Concrete of North Las Vegas, escaped the accident with minor scrapes and torn jeans.

The site had been under fire by the Carpenters Union, which alleged that workers had been cheated out of pay and that workmanship at the site was shoddy. The union only days before had aired complaints to the City Council.

The union has been especially critical of Precision Concrete, a nonunion shop. Precision has contracts for about half of the work on the project.

The garage, which was to be completed July 18, is not likely to be finished for another month, John Simmons, Henderson construction manager, said.

Rick Cooley, construction manager for Harris and Associates, which stays on site to ensure that subcontractors follow state regulations, said he felt lucky no one was hurt or killed. Simmons agreed.

Workers had been pumping a 55-foot-long plywood and aluminum-beamed form full of concrete for about an hour when it gave way, taking the staging with it. Several workers fell from a height of about 12 feet.

One worker broke a leg and another had serious cuts. The men were transported by ambulance to University Medical Center, where they were treated.

The 55-foot-long beam was to complete a 16-foot-high ornamental entryway at the rear entrance of the garage.

Richard Romero, safety director of general contractor Korte-Bellew and Associates, declined all comment other than confirming that federal regulators from Occupation Safety and Health Administration would investigate the accident.

Simmons also declined comment on the possible cause of the accident, as did Lori Ashton, a union organizer for the Southwest Regional Carpenters Union.

Ashton did say, however, that "things don't fall down for no reason." She noted that past work by Precision had exhibited shoddy workmanship. Workers in July, she said, had to chisel thousands of square feet of concrete that was poured improperly because of defective forms.

The union also told the Henderson City Council last week that Precision Concrete misclassified 22 workers as laborers while they were completing carpentry work. The union demanded back pay of $81,500.

Henderson conducted its own investigation in late August in response to union allegations and determined that workers had been cheated of $2,000 in wages. The state Labor Commissioner is reviewing documentation submitted by the union and city. Simmons said he expects a decision in the next couple weeks.

Meanwhile, Korte-Bellew is accumulating $4,000 a day in city fines for missing the July 18 deadline. The accident is expected to create further delays, Simmons said.