SUN EDITORIAL:

Standing firm

Nevada OSHA should ensure worker safety requirements are met — no matter the pace

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

Nevada safety regulators have been under fire in the string of deaths and injuries on Strip construction sites for rolling over on fines and violations.

As Alexandra Berzon has reported in the Las Vegas Sun, construction companies routinely got fines and violations reduced or dismissed if they challenged them. But since the Sun started investigating incidents on the Strip and the way regulators handled them, things have been changing. As Berzon reported Thursday, Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials have recently held fast.

In a finding against Marnell Corrao Associates, the contractor in charge of construction at the now-stalled Echelon, regulators said the speed of the work played a role in the death of worker Lyndal Bates. He fell from a scaffold after improperly tying off his safety harness.

The report linked the pace of construction, which has been a concern in the rash of accidents, to the accident. A foreman was rushing workers to finish tasks and telling them to do things that violate safety standards, the report said. Regulators found that the foreman didn’t have the appropriate training and the workers hadn’t been trained on fall prevention techniques.

Nevada OSHA fined Marnell Corrao $11,000 for one “regulatory” and four “serious” violations. The company tried to persuade officials to change the finding, but regulators refused. This is the third consecutive case in which Nevada OSHA officials have denied requests to change the fines.

It is good that Nevada OSHA officials pointed out how the pace of construction contributed to the incident. That seems to be something that has been overlooked in the past, yet it has obviously been a contributing factor.

The Strip is undergoing a $32 billion building boom, and with that much money involved there is obviously an urgency to finish. There were 12 deaths in 19 months.

State regulators have a responsibility to ensure worker safety, and we hope they continue to stand firm against contractors who violate the rules. Nevada OSHA should make it clear that safety measures cannot be compromised by the pace of construction.

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

By Future2012

10/5/08 at 7:54 a.m.

Suggest removal

"A foreman was rushing workers to finish tasks and telling them to do things that violate safety standards"

Individual accountability is needed.

That foreman who broke OSHA rules should have been thrown in jail.

Where were the Union Stewards and bosses to stop this.

Worker who know they could be killed should walk in force off the job.
By integratedsafety

10/7/08 at 7:52 a.m.

Suggest removal

Nevada OSHA has the authority to cite this as a willful violation with a $70,000 fine since the foreman was willingly telling workers to violate safety standards. There could be multiple $70,000 fines since more than one worker was put at risk of serious injury.

Is an $11,000 fine the price we want to put on the loss of a life?

I appreciate the position the Sun has taken. It has been very effective. But are we satisfied that this will keep workers safe from here on?

Steve Daly
Colorado Springs, CO