Alexandra Berzon

Reporter/ General Assignment

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Story Archive

Orleans accident survivor cheats death once more: Recovery earns him nickname ‘miracle man’; Friday, Aug. 29, 2008; Kelly Snow could give a lesson on dressing for tragedy.
Nevada OSHA will respond to feds: Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008; Nevada OSHA confirmed Tuesday afternoon that it had received the letter from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration describing the outcome of a year-long investigation into Nevada OSHA's handling of the Orleans case.
Feds second-guess state OSHA: U.S. agency says it would not have weakened citations in Orleans deaths; Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008; Federal workplace safety officials have raised “significant concerns” about the way Nevada resolved an investigation of a double fatality at the Orleans last year.
Carpenters' jobs hit hard: With construction activity slow, the trade’s local union yanks its welcome mat; Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008; Dear union leaders,
Please stop sending your workers to Las Vegas. We can’t take any more.
On-the-job deaths rise in Nevada: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008; Newly released federal statistics show that Nevada saw the sharpest increase in workplace fatalities among states between 2006 and 2007.
Worker hurt at CityCenter: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008; A 36-year old construction worker was injured Wednesday morning at CityCenter when a heavy piece of sheetmetal fell on his neck and shoulders.
Perini wants safety culture but it’s not a ‘reaction’: CityCenter developer’s approach is aimed at ‘continuous improvement’; Friday, Aug. 15, 2008; The challenge is a tough one: change the “culture of safety” midway through a round-the-clock construction project that employs thousands of workers.
Drinking story adds to grief: Families of men who died on the job deny connection, citing clean toxicology reports; Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008; Susan Englander’s husband, Harvey, never went out with the guys after work for drinks. And he certainly wasn’t drunk or on drugs the day he died at CityCenter, when the manlift he was greasing came down on him. So when Englander read in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday that several CityCenter . . .
Federal government expands its role in local safety inspections: Monday, Aug. 4, 2008; The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has finished its physical inspections of CityCenter, a Nevada OSHA spokesperson said last week.
Despite downturn, unions seek to organize residential builders: Monday, Aug. 4, 2008; Last week a wooden plank fell on Eduardo Acevedo and badly injured his finger while he was building houses for the construction company SelectBuild.
Echelon delay changes prospects for workers: Las Vegas has been construction employment hot spot; now future looks a lot less certain; Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008; Ironworker Jerry Ciciliano had been on the job for a couple of hours Friday morning when he discovered that he’d be out of a job. “It’s hard to believe they’d go that far (with the project) and then quit,” Ciciliano said.
Worker injured at CityCenter: Wednesday, July 30, 2008; A worker was injured this morning at a CityCenter construction site after he fell down a flight of stairs and landed in a basement area. He was conscious and breathing and complaining of back and shoulder pain, said Clark County Fire Department spokesperson Scott Allison.
Safety engineers say they get little respect: Organization has new plan to elevate the profession; Monday, July 21, 2008; Put a bunch of safety professionals in a room together, and you’re likely to hear the same complaint: “We’re undervalued!”
Safety wasn't in the equation: Six workers have died at CityCenter, and three more have lost their lives at other local Perini projects. Still, commissioners picked the company to build McCarran’s new terminal; Saturday, July 19, 2008; At this week’s Clark County Commission meeting, Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani noted a curiosity:
2 workers injured in CityCenter fall: Tuesday, July 15, 2008; Two workers were injured after falling 22 feet at the CityCenter construction site this afternoon.
State deal in deaths at Orleans questioned: Fed OSHA objects to Boyd’s free safety training, exemption from inspections; Tuesday, July 15, 2008; A former federal OSHA official said a draft of the results from an investigation into Nevada's OSHA calls into question the use of state resources to provide training and consultation services to Boyd Gaming Corp., owner of the Orleans.
Union turns a worried eye on construction cranes: AFL-CIO to ask Legislature to reform already strict laws; Monday, June 30, 2008; Nevada has some of the most strict construction crane laws in the country, but labor officials want them improved.
OSHA a no-show at safety session: City, county officials plan to look at role they can play; Monday, June 30, 2008; It took 12 deaths, a massive worker protest and a hearing on Capitol Hill to bring about Saturday’s meeting at the Clark County Government Center.
Safety has gotten attention — slowly: Lawmakers, unions, Nevada OSHA increasingly regard it as essential issue; Thursday, June 26, 2008; More than a month ago, a sister of Harold Billingsley, the construction worker whose death was highlighted in a congressional hearing this week, e-mailed her three Nevada representatives in Washington to remind them about regulatory issues surrounding the fatality. The response was less than enthusiastic.
OSHA oversight in question: House committee testimony ‘raises very, very serious’ concern at state, federal levels; Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Witnesses and lawmakers at a House hearing delivered a blistering portrayal Tuesday of construction safety oversight on the Las Vegas Strip.
For family, hearing provides some comfort: Wednesday, June 25, 2008; George Cole ended his remarks before the House Education and Labor Committee with a plea.
Five minutes to save lives: Relative of fall victim has so much to say to House panel, so little time; Tuesday, June 24, 2008; A lot rides on George Cole’s five once-in-a-lifetime minutes. It’s a chance to educate lawmakers and the public about what Cole, with 42 years of ironwork experience in Las Vegas, thinks needs to be changed to make construction safer.
High-rise death mystiﬁes family, ofﬁcials: No safety violations, no reason for worker to be where he was — just unanswered questions; Saturday, June 21, 2008; When electrician Mark Wescoat died two months ago at CityCenter, he left a mystery in his wake.
Echelon latest Strip construction site to claim life: Tuesday, June 17, 2008; A journeyman carpenter died Monday morning at the Echelon construction site on the Las Vegas Strip.
Rush is on to make building sites safer: Experts think changes can be made before Strip projects are completed; Friday, June 13, 2008; The union walkout last week to protest unsafe working conditions at the CityCenter and Cosmopolitan construction sites began to pay off this week as labor safety experts and federal OSHA inspectors started to descend on Las Vegas.
Ironworkers push feds to restore safety law: Pressure on OSHA to step up fall-safety measures comes during agency director’s visit; Tuesday, June 10, 2008; The ironworkers union stepped up efforts Monday to persuade the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to follow California’s — and, most recently, Nevada’s — lead and rescind a federal directive interpreting the agency’s standards for safety flooring.
Unions’ pressure on Ross spurred CityCenter walkout: Sunday, June 8, 2008; The show of force was impressive. Nevada’s construction unions walked off job sites along the Strip on Monday, the first major project shutdown over safety in Las Vegas history. Union leaders said negotiations with the general contractor, Perini Building Co., had failed.
Federal OSHA coming to CityCenter: Gibbons says Nevada OSHA can count on help with its massive safety inspection; Friday, June 6, 2008; Nevada workplace safety regulators, concerned about construction worker deaths but overwhelmed by the task of inspecting MGM Mirage’s $9.2 billion CityCenter site, have taken an unprecedented step: Calling in help from the feds.
Strip carousers hear picketers’ grievances: Early-morning protest over worker deaths, safety gives way to deal; Wednesday, June 4, 2008; As 2 a.m. neared on Tuesday, construction workers marched in circles outside the locked gates of CityCenter, their picket signs raised above their heads: “Unsafe Job Site.” Karaoke from the Hawaiian Marketplace across the Las Vegas Strip grew more and more discordant, as it does there every night.
Safety agreement ends walkout on Strip: Tuesday, June 3, 2008; Construction will resume on MGM Mirage's CityCenter as early as tonight because union officials and contractor Perini Building Company have reached an agreement on safety improvements at the site.
Workers walk off CityCenter site in protest: Union leaders: We’ll picket until contractor meets demands for increased safety; Tuesday, June 3, 2008; Construction workers shut down MGM Mirage’s CityCenter at midnight Monday, walking off the job to protest safety conditions at the $9.2 billion project after a rash of fatal construction accidents at the site and on the Las Vegas Strip.
BREAKING: Construction workers to walk off CityCenter site: Monday, June 2, 2008; Construction workers at the $9.2 billion MGM Mirage CityCenter project are expected to walk off the job at midnight in a disagreement over safety at the site, union officials said late tonight.
State OSHA boosts work site safety: Public, union pressure had mounted following Strip construction deaths; Saturday, May 31, 2008; Nevada will begin requiring contractors to place temporary flooring or safety netting beneath employees working on high-rise projects, the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Friday.
Fall-safety requirement may get OSHA enforcement: With contractors’ consent, state agency to require floors or netting; Friday, May 23, 2008; Responding to pleas from the Ironworkers Union following deaths on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada workplace safety regulators appear close to what could be a significant change to improve safety in high-rise construction, according to several people involved.
Interpreting protections away: Union: OSHA weakens its standards with challenge-proof ‘directives’; Sunday, May 18, 2008; Prompted by circumstances surrounding the deaths of construction workers on the Las Vegas Strip, the International Association of Ironworkers is questioning federal safety regulators over their decision not to enforce several safety laws.
Keeping the heat on OSHA: U.S. House panel to review agency’s safety standards on industry; Sunday, May 11, 2008; Citing the deaths of 10 workers on the Las Vegas Strip, a House panel will hold a hearing to review construction safety standards and the conduct of government agencies responsible for overseeing workplace safety.
On safety, we could learn from NYC: Missing here: Big Apple’s expanded role in oversight, outrage over deaths; Sunday, May 4, 2008; Two months ago, after a string of tragic construction fatalities shook New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave an address to the city’s building inspectors.
Local government safety role to get a look: County, city officials also plan to explore ways to strengthen OSHA; Friday, May 2, 2008; Two leading Southern Nevada elected officials said Thursday they want to bring together developers, building contractors, workers and state and local officials to find ways to improve safety following a series of deaths on construction projects on the Las Vegas Strip.
Lax safety oversight is paid notice on the Hill: Government should raise fines for dangerous sites, labor experts testify; Wednesday, April 30, 2008; Labor experts told a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday that weak government oversight of workplace safety is putting workers at greater risk and contributing to on-the-job fatalities, including in Las Vegas.
Mystery surrounds CityCenter fatality: Investigation under way in electrician’s fall — fifth death at project; Tuesday, April 29, 2008; Electrician Mark Wescoat, 47, of New Jersey fell to his death at MGM Mirage’s CityCenter work site Saturday. Nine other workers have died in construction accidents in Strip building projects, including four at CityCenter, over the past 17 months.
Orleans case sparks investigation: Official’s involvement draws attorney general’s interest; Friday, April 25, 2008; The Nevada attorney general’s office has opened an investigation into the state Business and Industry Department’s handling of a case involving the deaths of two workers at the Orleans, the Sun has learned.
A stricter OSHA seen after Sun series: Agency holds firm on findings following investigation of Strip construction site deaths; Tuesday, April 22, 2008; Most recently, the agency did not back down from its recommended citations against a subcontractor in connection with the death at the Cosmopolitan of a safety engineer. A subcontractor, Reliable Steel, had protested the findings, but OSHA officials refused to budge.
Influenced, OSHA bends: After involvement of Gibbons appointee, violations, fines in case of Orleans workers’ deaths were reduced; Friday, April 18, 2008; The reduction removed a tough but rare finding of willful disregard for safety that would have permanently marred the record of the owner of the Orleans, Boyd Gaming Corp., and could have exposed the company to costly lawsuits or fines in the future. To reduce the citations, the Nevada's OSHA negotiated a series of maneuvers that broke significantly from normal department procedures.
A CAUTIOUS PUSH: After Strip building site deaths, some workers want more safety demands from unions, but press too hard and they may be jobless; Sunday, April 13, 2008; The 70-odd ironworkers working at the Fontainebleau construction site were fed up with dangerous conditions. In July, they stopped working in the unsafe areas and persuaded their union, Ironworkers Local 433, to negotiate with the contractor to correct several specific safety problems: They wanted a caged elevator, not an open lift, to ride to higher floors. They demanded installation of a promised cable so they could attach their safety harnesses. They wanted the safety net, then balled up somewhere on the site, stretched beneath workers, where it belonged.
Union demands safety upgrade: Ironworkers leader wants state OSHA to direct contractors to install decking that could prevent falls; Wednesday, April 9, 2008; The Las Vegas Ironworkers Union is asking Nevada safety regulators to require contractors to provide netting or temporary flooring of the kind that could have saved two workers who fell to their deaths last year on the Strip.
In fatalities, union to meet with OSHA: Policy represents change for ironworkers local; Saturday, April 5, 2008; With tensions over construction worker deaths along the Strip surfacing, about 200 ironworkers filled their union hall Friday night to discuss how to improve workplace safety. By meeting’s end, there was general agreement among union stewards that they would now participate in conferences between state safety inspectors and contractors when safety violations are discussed in the wake of workplace fatalities.
Ironworkers want stronger union action: Some members, relatives of victims resent local leader’s comments; Thursday, April 3, 2008; Members of Ironworkers Union Local 433 and friends and relatives of some accident victims say the union leadership isn’t fighting hard enough to ensure safety at Strip building sites.
OSHA up for rare inquiry: Lawmakers call for hearings, suggest more inspectors for safety agency; Wednesday, April 2, 2008; Nevada lawmakers said Tuesday they expect the Legislature will hold hearings on safety lapses involved in deaths at Strip construction sites and on the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s conduct after the fatalities.
'Not in this city': Safety engineer says fundamental change impossible in build-crazy Vegas; Tuesday, April 1, 2008; The disturbing rash of worker deaths at casinos, condos and hotels being built along the Strip raises safety issues that must be addressed, safety engineers and others say. But making fundamental changes in the culture of construction safety in go-go Las Vegas will be tough.
OSHA goes easy: After meeting with employer only, it often reverses findings, cuts fines; Monday, March 31, 2008; Hundreds of construction workers signed a 10-foot long memorial poster for the family of Harold Billingsley after the 46-year-old ironworker plunged to his death at CityCenter last year. Four months later, on a night in February, relatives unrolled the poster at the home of his sister, Monique Cole, and her husband. Cole placed Billingsley’s brown leather boots and sticker-covered construction helmet on the kitchen table. The family had gathered to talk to a reporter.