Alexandra Berzon

Story Archive

Call hub waits to unleash shrill script, detached force: Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008; Tonya Burks was pulling into a small plaza just west of the Strip Friday when she noticed a group of workers standing outside a call center, known as Advanced Integrated Communications.
Feds fine tribal company for safety violations: Monday, Oct. 20, 2008; The federal government on Monday announced it was proposing a hefty fine of
$54,000 against Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza for failing to respond to and
correct safety and health violations.
Albright says Obama is presidential: Former secretary of state says candidate is right on diplomacy, response to economic crisis; Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008; Sen. Barack Obama’s response to the recent economic crisis should assure voters that he will prove a measured, thoughtful and effective commander-in-chief during a time when the country is facing deep challenges in its global relations, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Friday in an interview with the Sun.
Injuries twice national average: Rates of worker injury have declined, however, at CityCenter, Cosmopolitan since OSHA’s investigation of fatalities, public outcry; Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008; Workers erecting the CityCenter and Cosmopolitan projects on the Strip are being injured at rates nearly twice the national average for the construction industry, although injuries have fallen sharply in the past year.
TOO FAST.: State OSHA report links Echelon death to speed of construction; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; Nevada workplace safety regulators say a building contractor’s poor safety practices and rush to finish work at Echelon on the Strip led to the death of a construction worker in June.
OSHA faults crane company in CityCenter death: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; State inspectors found that serious contractor violations contributed to two major accidents — one fatal — at CityCenter last year, according to new reports released this week to the Sun.
Feds send $72 million to region to fight foreclosure: Friday, Sept. 26, 2008; Nevada state and cities will receive nearly $72 million from the federal government in emergency assistance to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday.
State tells FedOSHA to back off: It denies wrongdoing, rejects request for policy changes after deaths at Orleans; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Nevada OSHA, responding to criticism from the federal government, has denied any wrongdoing in its handling of the Orleans investigation that followed the deaths of two workers.
What bailout means for housing market: Securing loans likely to become easier for those with good credit, tougher for those with bad; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; As the roar of Wall Street’s crumbling and consolidating banks reverberates, observers can’t avoid noting a certain comparison.
State may cede apprentice oversight: Critics say federal monitoring could weaken enforcement; Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008; In response to a shrinking state budget, Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek said he might propose eliminating state oversight of apprenticeships. If it ends, monitoring of apprenticeships would fall to the federal government.
Tackling race to negate it: In break with Obama’s approach, union leaders broach skin color in campaign to assuage doubts about candidate among rank and file; Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008; Not long after Sen. Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination for president, union bosses for the building trades realized they needed to better understand their members’ complicated views of the Illinois senator.
In Nevada, safety could be big issue: AFL-CIO official takes McCain to task in speech to Obama supporters; Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008; Workplace safety has hardly been a major topic on the campaign trail or at the recent Democratic and Republican national conventions. But some prominent worker advocates think the issue could appeal to workers and help draw distinctions between the presidential candidates.
Worker safety, economic forces at odds: Fines provide little incentive for companies to enforce safety requirements, but research shows their own bottom lines might; Friday, Sept. 5, 2008; Put aside morals for a moment. Put aside basic value for human life.
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:
Two workers injured in CityCenter fall: Tuesday, July 15, 2008; Two workers were injured after falling 22 feet at the CityCenter construction site this afternoon.
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.
Nevada OSHA responds to criticism that it missed Saturday's safety workshop: Tuesday, July 1, 2008; Nevada's Occupational Safety and Health Administration was a no-show to Saturday's meeting at County chambers to discuss construction safety on Strip projects.
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.
Locals leaders urge fix of "broken" construction safety system: Saturday, June 28, 2008
Low expectations for construction safety meeting: Thursday, June 26, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Chairman takes aim at Nevada OSHA: Tuesday, June 24, 2008; WASHINGTON-- Construction safety on the Las Vegas Strip became a national issue this morning as the chairman of the House labor committee took aim at Nevada OSHA for the way it has handled cases involving fatal accidents.
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.
Construction worker dies at Strip project: Monday, June 16, 2008; A veteran carpenter died Monday morning at the Echelon construction site on the Las Vegas Strip.
Construction Worker Dies at Echelon (UPDATED): Monday, June 16, 2008; A veteran 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.
FedOSHA director, in Las Vegas, mum on Strip safety: Tuesday, June 10, 2008; The timing couldn't have been more perfect. One week after the entire workforce of CityCenter walked out to protest unsafe working conditions, and just days after the state announced it was bringing in federal workplace safety inspectors to help them inspect CityCenter, the head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ed Foulke popped into town on a pre-scheduled visit to speak at a conference for safety professionals.
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.
Nevada asks for federal help to review CityCenter safety: Thursday, June 5, 2008; Nevada workplace safety regulators have asked for federal help in reviewing safety procedures at CityCenter.