Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job 2013 Report

7/30/2019 Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job 2013 Report

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TENNESSEE

WORKERS:DYINGFORAJOB

AReportonWorkerFatalitiesinTennessee

2011and2012

InHonorofWorkersMemorialDay

April28,2013

Sponsoredby:

BridgestoJustice InterfaithWorkerJusticeofEastTennessee IronworkersLocalUnion384 JobswithJusticeofEastTennessee

KnoxvilleOakRidgeAreaCentralLaborCouncil,AFLCIO LaborersLocalUnion818


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DonStorey44(withsonJacob).

April5,2011.

BuildingCollapse

HowardHarless70.

February8,2012.

Fall

MichaelTallent27.

December31,2012.

Electrocution

AbimaelContreras31.

March26,2012.

Fall/Drowning

LarryChubbs54.

May8,2012.

Fall/Machinery

MichaelWells,57.

February23,2012.

TrenchCavein


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ReportAuthors

FranAnsleyisDistinguishedProfessorofLawEmeritus,UniversityofTennesseeCollegeofLaw

GraduateStudentsinPublicHealthLawatETSUsCollegeofPublicHealthwroteissuebriefsthat

provided the basis for major portions of the report. Doctoral students: Katie Callahan

(Epidemiology), Chris Green (Environmental Health), Megan Housenick, Colleen Scott andChristianWilliams (CommunityandBehavioralHealth). Mastersstudents: KaylaFlowersand

Colin Henning (Environmental Health). Additional assistance provided by Amy Poole

(Epidemiology)andFranGaby(EnvironmentalHealth).Professor:KenSilver

DavidLingeisProfessorofReligiousStudiesEmeritusattheUniversityofTennesseeinKnoxville

RobertWoodsisaStrategicResearcherwiththeLaborersInternationalUnionofNorthAmerica

AbouttheSponsoringOrganizations

Bridges to Justice isaworkerandcommunityalliance fighting to improvesafetyandworking

conditions for the men and women who build Tennessees bridges and other public

infrastructure. The foundingmembers Jobswith Justice of East Tennessee, IronWorkers

Local 384, Interfaith Worker Justice of East Tennessee, and Laborers Local 818 share a

commitmenttoworkersafetyandthewiseuseofpublicfunds,andabeliefthatregardlessof

race,genderorimmigrationstatus,allworkershavearighttoasafeworkingenvironmentand

dignityonthejob.

InterfaithWorker JusticeofEastTennessee isanational coalitionof faith communities that

advocatesforthewellbeingofallworkingpeople.

Ironworkers Local Union 384 is an affiliate local of the International Association of Bridge,

Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers. Local 384 represents workers who

specialize inheavy rigging, structural and reinforcing steel,welding, andbridge construction.

Local 384hasplayed amajorpart in the constructionofmany iconic structures inKnoxville

includingWorldsFairPark,theSunSphere,theCityCountyBuilding,andbothBankTowerson

GayStreet.

Jobs with Justice of East Tennessee is a coalition of faithbased and communitybased

organizations, labor unions, and individuals committed to social and economic justice for

workingpeopleandtheirfamiliesinEastTennessee.

TheKnoxvilleOakRidgeAreaCentralLaborCouncil,AFLCIO, isanumbrellaorganization for

localunionsrepresentingworkers indifferent industriesacross13counties inEastTennessee.

Its mission is to improve the lives of working families, bringing economic justice to the

workplaceand socialjustice to the stateandnation. Formanyyears theCLChas sponsored

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observancesofWorkersMemorialDay,often incooperationwith InterfaithWorker Justiceof

EastTennessee.

Laborers LocalUnion 818 is an affiliate local of the Laborers International Union of North

America.Asaconstructionunion,Local818representsconstructionworkers,radiologyworkers,

hazardous waste workers, asbestos abatement workers and ground/maintenance workers.

Local818hasbeeninvolvedinprojectswiththeDepartmentofEnergy,DepartmentofDefenseand the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The Local has been a significant contribution to

projects suchas theSpallationNeutronSourceat theOakRidgeNationalLaboratoryand the

UraniumstoragefacilityattheY12securitycomplex.

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Dedication

This report is dedicated to all the working men and women in Tennessee both known and

unknowntouswhodiedonthejobin2011and2012.

Inparticularwearemindfuloffourmenwhohaverecentlydiedonbridgeprojectsinthestate.

Their fourneedlessdeathsbroughtdramaticattentiontotheproblemofsafetyonTennessee

publicworksprojects,andinspiredtheformationofthecoalitionthatisoneofthesponsorsof

thisreport.

Oneofthemen,RenMendez,diedinMemphisinNovemberof2010onabridgeovertheWolf

River. TheotherthreeworkersJohnWomacandSolnEstradaJimenez,killedontheHenley

StreetBridge in Knoxville in 2011, and Abimael Contreras, killed on the Highway 41 Bridge in

MarionCountyin2012alllosttheirlivesduringtheperiodcoveredbythisreport.

Ourhope is that this report,and the largerefforts forworkplacesafety,willserveasa fitting

tributeandmemorial.

HenleyStreet

Bridge

project

under

construction

DowntownKnoxville,TN

January19th2013

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TableofContents

Introductionpage5

ExecutiveSummarypage6

InMemoriam:WorkersWhoDiedontheJobinTennesseein2011and2012page7

Statisticspage9

Fatalitiespage9

InjuriesandIllnessespage18

UnnecessaryDeathsonPublicWorksProjectspage22

ImmigrantandLatinoWorkerspage28

WorkplaceViolencepage34

Enforcementpage36

NeedforStrongerSafeguardsintheConductofInvestigationspage39

DataLimitationspage42

Recommendationspage44

Referencespage48

AdditionalResourcespage52

Nodatawithout

StoriesNostorieswithoutdata.

Popularsayingofruralpublic

healthleaders

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Introduction

ForyearspeoplehavebeencomingtogetherinlateAprilincitiesacrossTennesseetoobserve

Workers Memorial Day, honoring and remembering workers who have died fromworkplace

injuryanddisease. This report, the firstof itskind inour state, isdesigned to support these

observancesin2013.ItsaimistousethemomentofWorkersMemorialDaytobringtogether

both hard numbers and human stories that can shed additional light on the very serious

problemofworkplacehealthandsafetyinTennessee.

Thenumbersreportedhere,andthehumantragediesdescribed,demonstratewithgreatforce

thatworkers inour statecontinue todieofworkrelated injuriesand illnessesatanalarming

rate. Theyalso revealcontinuingchallenges facedbyagencieschargedwithenforcinghealth

andsafety lawsandmandatingbetterpractices in theworkplace,agencies liketheTennessee

OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration(TOSHA).TOSHAisastateplancreatedbythe

TennesseeGeneralAssemblyunderthepartofthefederalOSHActthatgivesstatestheoption

toenforcehealthand safety standards,as longas theyareequal toor stronger than federal

OSHAs.

Themostsoberingthingaboutboththestatisticsandthestories isthatdeathsonthejobare

largely preventable. The overwhelming majority of the workers whose names youwill read

belowdidnothavetodie.Wehopethisreportandthemanyeffortsbyworkersthemselves,by

labor unions, worker centers, occupational health and safety professionals, responsible

employers,publicofficials,andotherconcerned individuals,willhelp tobring thesenumbers

down in future years. But serious changes are necessary for that to happen. This report

proposessomeofthesechanges.

Wewould

like

toacknowledge

those

who

provided

guidance

orinformation

used

inthis

report.

Among themare the familiesof severalworkerswhose storiesappearbelow. The trustand

generosity of family members who agreed to talk with us and share knowledge about their

lovedoneshasbeenremarkable.

Graduate students in Dr. Silvers Public Health Law class at ETSUs College of Public Health

provided invaluable research and writing on specific topics covered in this report. Other

contributors include theNationalCouncil forOccupationalSafetyandHealth,UnitedSupport

andMemorial forWorkplaceFatalities,groupsofoccupationalhealthandsafetyadvocates in

California, Massachusetts and North Carolina who shared with us their own reports on

occupationalfatalitiesintheirstates,andanumberofindividualsafetyandhealthprofessionals.

WearegratefultoKnoxvilleMayorMadelineRogeroandKnoxCountyMayorTimBurchettfor

thejointproclamation in2012thatmarked the firstofficial recognitionofWorkersMemorial

DayinEastTennessee.Wealsowanttopubliclythankalltheinspectorsandothergovernment

employees who work each day to see that health and safety laws are observed, thereby

upholding the basic human right to a safe place to work.

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ExecutiveSummary

InMemoriam. FederalOSHAandthestateWorkersCompensationDivisionoftheTennessee

Departmentof LaborandWorkforceDevelopmentkeepdifferentkindsof fatality records for

Tennessee.Theyrecorded165deathsofworkersonthejobinTennessee2011and2012.Itis

likelythiscombinedlistfailstocapturethetrueextentoftheproblem

What theNumbers TellUs: Fatalities. The transportation, construction and manufacturing

sectorstogetheraccountedformorethanhalfofthedeaths. DeathratesinagricultureforTN

aredoubleU.S.rates.OverallfatalityratesinTennesseeareabout39%higher.Deathsdueto

contact with objects or equipment are consistently elevated. Tennessees overall health

rankingamong50stateshasnotchangedoverthelast21years,butitsrankingonoccupational

fatalitieshassignificantlydeteriorated.Inadditiontoseveraldeathsofworkersonpublicworks

projects (seebelow),aseriesof flash firesandexplosionsatan ironmetalplant inGallatin in

2011killedfiveandinjuredthree. InjuryandIllnessratesareconsistentlyhigherinTennessee

than the U.S.. Specific sectors with higher rates include utilities, construction, mining,

manufacturing,andhospitals.Totaloccupationalillnessesarehigher.Byoneestimate5,600to7,200casesofreportablecasesofoccupationalillnessoccureachyearinTennessee.

PublicWorks. Four bridge construction workers were killed between November 2010 and

March 2012 on projects for which the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) had

contracted with Britton Bridge LLC or a closely affiliated company. The agencys screening

process fails to weed out unsafe contractors. Two Gatlinburg workers were killed when a

treatmentplantcollapsedinApril2011,followedinFebruary2012bythedeathofaworkeron

thedemolition. Anothercontractorsemployeewaskilleddoingwork fortheKnoxvilleUtility

Board.TOSHApenaltieshavebeenpaltry.

ImmigrantandLatinoWorkers.Hispanicworkersaccount foradisproportionate shareofjob

fatalities,andimmigrantworkersareemployedintosomeofTennesseesmostdangerousand

dirtyjobs.Precariousstatusmakessomeespeciallyvulnerable.

Enforcement.TOSHAfinesaretoolowtoeffectivelydeteremployersfrommaintainingunsafe

workingconditions.IssuanceofseriousandwillfulcitationsislowerthanfederalOSHAs.

Safeguards in the Conduct of Investigations. Good investigators know about the unequal

powerrelationshipbetweenworkersandemployersandtheseriousproblemsitcreatesforthe

integrity of investigations. Employee witnesses in workplace fatality investigations must be

protected

from

undue

influence,

intimidation,

or

retaliation.

TOSHAs

formal

procedures

recognizethisprinciple,buttheagencyfailstoconsistentlyhonoritinpractice.

Recommendations,seventeeninall,aredirectedatthefederal,stateandlocalgovernment,as

wellasemployers.

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InMemoriam

WorkersWhoDiedontheJobinTennesseein2011and2012

ListedbelowarethenamesandagesofpeopleinTennesseewhodiedonthejobin2011and

2012.Becauseoflimitationsoftheinformationsourcesavailableinearly2013,several

recordeddeathsdidnothavenamesavailable.Thesearelistedattheend,withthedateof

deathandtheindividualstownandcounty.ImprovementsinstateandfederalpoliciestofollowuponfatalitieswillhopefullyreducethenumberofsuchNameUnknowncasesin

futuresyearsWorkersMemorialDayreports.Inaddition,nationalstatisticsimplythatfor

everyacutefatalitytentimesasmanypeopledieofoccupationaldiseases.Mostofthosecases

gounrecorded.

ChristopherAnderson

RonaldArledge,50

BeverlyArmstrong,48

ShawnAustin,28

ClevelandBalentine,83

Jimmie Banks

BrianBarron,28 WilliamBates

DanBaxter,46

MarkBeard

RichardBeller

DionicioBeltran,40

StevenBinkley

JohnBosch

DarrenBoswell

CraigBowman

RalphBraden,58

JerryBuford,43

WalterBurkinsJr,41

CarmenBurnette

AnthonyButler,44

CurtisCalhoun

WilliamCaudill

JamesChapin,51

LarryChubbs,54

RobertCline

Dennis Clow,60

MonicaClow,57

DanielCoffman

DannyCollins,35 GeneCollins

RandyCollins,36

ChrisCollinsworth,30s

AbimaelContreras,31

Bobby Cooper

VernonCorley,32

JamesCrittenden

RussellCulver,45

BlakeCunningham,70

WilliamDabney

Harold Dalton,54

MichaelDalton

CharlesDancerJimmie Daniels,61

GeorgeDavis,69

MurrayDavis,Jr.34

PamelaDesanto,45

Dennis Dickey,53

JanetDiffee

KeinoDouglas,33

HuletDucker,74

LarryDunnivant,58

Ronald Elkins

EdwardElphee,50

JohnEslinger,53

SolinEstradaJimenez,50

KeithFields,55

KennyFox,39

DarrellFranklin,48

KeithFrierson,44

RichardGilford,40

Grady Givens

DaleGourley,37

HaroldGraham,59

BradleyGreen

KeithGunn,47TerrellHampton,52

HowardHarless,70

MichaelHarris,60

CharlesHayes,28

JohnnyHendricks,57

JoseG.Hernandez

LouisHernandez,35

MarcosHernandez

SamuelHobbs

JoanneHoward

EricHulsey

DavidIngle,56

RenardoJackson StephanieJames,33

EricaJarrett

Joseph Johnson,61

NathanJohnson,31

Jeffrey Jordan

JamesKeith,57

TomKerley,47

KennethKilgore

GaryKroll

MartoviaLang

DaytonLauderdale,26

Sandra Layne

SteffanieLeonard,29

RichardLester

DarrellLivingston,51

GeorgeLong,60

VernonLowrance,60

WalterLuther,Jr.47

BruceLeeMarion,29

DennisMattern,59

GaryMcCloud

GregMcKnight,50

IsaacMeeks,34HugoMendoza,45

ChristopherMidgett

DebraMoon,57

CharlesMorgan,54

ThomasMyers

JerryNance,67

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BradleyNicley,38

RobertNowickiJr,49

WilbertPaige,61

DouglasPalmer,57

TeganPapageorge,26

TerryParnell

JeremyPerkins,33

JuniorPetersMichaelPeterson,50

RickeyPhillips,59

MaryProvince,57

PhillipPruett

StanleyPruitt,54

AnthonyRahming,48

ClarkRicardo

JerryRoach

JohnRoberts,41

KenedyRojas,42

MaryRoss

TerryRoss,55

WileySherburne,42

JeffreySherrill,44

CliffShipley,58

JoleneSmith

LarrySnellings,58

RobertSolomon,52

DonaldStorey,44

MichaelTallent,27

JoeyTaylor,36

TimThomas

ReginaldThompson

DanielTittle,50

AustinTorres RodrigoTrinidadMena

FredTuttle

CharlesUlery,37

JamesViolet

PaulWachob,53

FreddieWalkerJr

WilliamWalker,58

AndyWall,36

TimothyWarren,39

MichaelWells,57

AaronWilkerson,45

JamesWilliams,52

RichardWilson

JohnWomac,33

KennethWooden

StevenWright

SuzetteYork,49

NameUnknown

3/6/2012Memphis

Shelby

NameUnknown

2/9/2012Memphis

Shelby

NameUnknown

2/9/2012Kingsport

Sullivan

NameUnknown

9/11/2012Mt.Juliet

Wilson

NameUnknown

8/21/2012Decherd

Franklin

NameUnknown

1/27/2012Cookeville

Putnam

Wesincerelyapologizeifyourcoworker,employeeorlovedonewas

omittedfromthislist,afterdyingatworkin2011or2012,orifotherdetails

areinerror.Thislistisbasedontheonlyinformationobtainablefromtwogovernmentagencies,intimeforthisreport.

Pleasehelpuscorrectthepublicrecord.Sendaccurateinformationto:

[email protected]

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Statistics

arepeoplewiththetearswipedaway.Dr.I.J.Selikoff(19151992)Dr.Asbestos

WHAT

THE

NUMBERS

TELL

US:

FATALITIES

INTRODUCTION.Rememberthatthesenumbersrepresentpeoplewhowenttoworkandnever

returnedhome.They lost their livesonthejob,oftendue tothedutiesof theiremployment.

Thepurposeofenumerating(orcounting)andanalyzingtheavailablecasedataforworkplace

fatalitiesistoshowaspectsoftheemployeedeathstheirtypeofwork,wheretheyworkedin

Tennessee,andthesituationsinwhichtheydied.Itsawaytoconnectandrelatetothepeople

who lost their lives, instead of considering them a number. Also, Tennessee government,

employers,workers,unions,safetyprofessionals,andfamiliesmaygainabetterunderstanding

of aspects ofjob safety and health that need improvement through stronger, more focused

preventiveefforts.

DATASOURCES.

Lists

of

fatalities

in

2011

and

2012

were

obtained

from

two

different

government sources: 1) federal OSHA and 2) the Tennessee Department of Labor and

Workforce Developments Workers Compensation Division. Combining the lists produced a

compilationof94workplacefatalitiesfor2011and71fatalitiesfor2012.Yetthe2011totalof

94 is still fewer than the final summary reporting of 120 fatalities from the Bureau of Labor

Statisticswebsitefor2011(Table1).2012dataforTennesseearenotyetavailablethroughthe

Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Even the combined lists are unlikely to capture the full

extentoftheproblem.(SeethesectiononDataLimitations).

05

10152025303540

3937

24

1712 10 11

72

51

Figure1.TNWorkplaceFatalitiesby

Industry,20112012(N=165)

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TABLE1.FATALITYRATESINTENNESSEEANDU.S.2008TO2010

Total

Fatalities

TN

Rate*

National

Rate

TN%above

national

average

2011 120

2010 138 5.4 3.6 50%

2009 111 4.5 3.5 29%2008 135 5.1 3.7 38%

4yrtotal 504

3yrAveragerate 5.0 3.6 39%

*Per100,000FullTimeEquivalentworkers(hoursbasedrate)Source:CFOI

DEATHSBYINDUSTRY. Theindustrialsectorswiththe largestnumbersofreportedworkplace

fatalities in 2011 were transportation, construction, manufacturing, service, and

security/enforcement.In2011,FederalExpressCorporationcontributedfiveworkplacefatalities

inthetransportationsector.Thefoursectorswiththelargestnumbersofdeathswerethesamein2012;agriculture/forestrywasinfifthplace.Thefinance/insuranceindustryreportedfatalities

in2011butdidnotreportanyfor2012.Miningreportedaworkplacefatalityin2012,butnone

in2011.

DatafromtheBureauofLaborStatisticsCensusofFatalOccupationalInjuriesismadeavailable

tothepublicwithatimelagofabouttwoyears.Therefore,ratesoffataloccupationalinjuries

arenotyetavailablefor2011and2012.However,apartialanalysisofratesoffatalitiesintwo

industrial sectors, constructionandagriculture for20082010, show thatTennessee routinely

exceedstheU.S.rate,sometimesbymorethan100% (Tables2and3). This isnotthecase in

neighboring Virginia. Like Tennessee, Virginia runs its own state plan to enforce OSHA

standards.

TABLE2.FATALITYRATESFORCONSTRUCTION(PER100,000FULLTIMEWORKERS)

TN VA National

2010 19.0 5.9 11.8

2009 10.9 8.0 12.4

2008 12.5 9.2 11.8

Source:CensusofFatalOccupationalInjuries(CFOI)

TABLE3.FATALITYRATESFORAGRICULTURE,FORESTRY,FISHING(PER100,000FULLTIMEWORKERS)

TN VA National NOTE

2010 55.5 22.6 27.0

TN>2timesU.S.2009 53.2 29.8 25.8

2008 68.3 39.1 28.4

Source:CFOI

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INCIDENTTYPE. Understandingthecausesofworkerfatalitiescanhelpwiththedevelopment

of effective strategies for preventing future deaths. Many different causes led to workplace

fatalitiesin2011and2012,suchasimpropersafeguards,orthehazardsofaparticularjob.The

leadingcauseofworkplacefatalitiesinboth2011and2012wasmotorvehicleaccidents.Thisis

consistent with the transportation industrys top rank for the number of workplace fatalities

(Figure2). Fourof theworkplace fatalitiesunder theburnedcategorywere from thesame

corporation,whichhadthreedifferentfire/explosionincidentsin2011(SeeKillerCombustible

Dustsidebar).

A

large

number

of

fatalities

were

listed

as

Unknown

or

without

acause

of

death.Naturalcauseofdeath,typicallyaheartattackoccurringatwork,alsoaccountsformany

workplacefatalities.Theavailableinformationdidnotallowtheworkrelatednessofeachcase

tobeassessedreliably,sowehavenotexcludedheartattackcasesinnumbersreportedhere.

HOWARDHARLESSHowardHarlessworkedasacrewleaderforRon'sMillwrightService.OnthemorningofFeb.8,

2012,HarlessandhiscrewwererepairingthemetalroofoftheFiveRivers IndustrialComplex

on Snapps Ferry Rd. in Greeneville. As the crew was getting into position to move a 40 foot

roofing

panel,

Harless

stepped

on

an

unsecured

end

of

a

panel,

which

gave

way

under

his

weight.Hefell23feettohisdeath.Harlesswas70yearsold.

Born in Rogersville, Howard learned the millwright trade as a

youngmanandpracticed itthroughouthisadult life.Formany

yearsheownedhisownmillwrightbusiness.In2004hesoldhis

businessandretiredtocareforhisdaughter,Pamela,whowas

illwithcancer.WhenPameladiedHowardresumedworkingat

the trade he loved. "He was a caring and compassionate

individualwhowoulddoanythingforothers,"saidacoworker

atthesceneoftheaccident."Wearecompletelydevastated."

Howardwas

afamily

man.

He

and

his

wife,

Peggy,

raised

two

daughters and a son. He was active in his church, Highpoint

BaptistChurch inMeadowview,Va.,whereheregularlytaughtSundaySchool. Howardserved

intheU.S.ArmyinGermanyaftergraduatingfromhighschool.

Alwaysactive,Howardlovedtoworkwithhishands.Hecouldbuildanything.Peggyhasseveral

dogs.ShesaidsheaskedHowardtobuildthemahouse.Muchtohersurprise,hebuiltthema

realhouse,withminiaturelivingroom,bedroom,airconditioning,etc.!Howardwasadevoted

gardener.HeandPeggygrewandcannedmuchofthefoodthatgotthemthroughtheyear.

Helovedtohuntandfish.HeownedafarmintheRogersvilleareawhichheusedasacampfor

huntingin

the

fall

and

fishing

in

Cherokee

Lake

throughout

the

year.

TOSHA investigatorsfoundsixserioussafetyviolationsattheworksite, includingfailuretouse

safetybeltsand lanyardstopreventfalls,andnotprovidingcoverstoroofholesandopenings

adequatetosupporttheweightofworkers,equipmentandmaterials.Ron'sMillwrightService

wasfinedatotalof$14,800fortheviolations.

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TRENDS OVER TIME. Tennessees overalljob fatality rate has remained constant in recent

years, about 5.0 per 100,000 workers. This compares to 3.6 for the U.S. as a whole in 2011

(Table 1). So the states rate is 29% to 50% higher than the national rate. Transportation

accidentsareconsistentlytheleadingcauseofdeathonthejobinTennessee(Table4),with39

suchfatalitiesoccurringin2011(thelatestyearforwhichBLSdataareavailable). Thesecond

most frequent cause of death on thejob in Tennessee is accidents involving contact with

objects

or

equipment

(Table

4).

Consistently,

a

greater

proportion

of

all

job

related

deaths

in

Tennessee isattributabletocontactwithobjectsorequipment,comparedtoratesfortheU.S.

asawhole(Table5).

TABLE4.CAUSESOFDEATH,WORKERFATALITIESINTN,20082011

Year Total Contact

with

Objects

Falls Harmful

Substanceor

Environment

Transport Fireor

Explosion

Violence*

2011 120 24 15 5 39 10 26

2010 138 31 21 13 51 5 15

2009

111

24

12 6 48 3

182008 135 27 24 6 52 4 22

Total 504 106 72 30 190 22 81

Source:CFOIannualreports(http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/tgs/2011/iiffw37.htm)

*Beginning2011thiscategoryincludesanimalrelatedinjuries.

MotorVehicle

Accident

18%

NaturalCauses

18%

UnknownCause

12%Buried/Crushed

13%

Burned

10%

Gunshot

6%

StruckbyVehicle

8%

Fall

7%

Occupational

Exposure4%

Electrocuted1%

Stabbed1%

Suffocated/

Drowned2%

Figure2.TNWorkplaceFatalitiesbyIncident

Type,20112012(N=165)

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TABLE5.DEATHSDUETOCONTACTWITHOBJECTSOREQUIPMENT

ARECONSISTENTLYHIGHERINTENNESSEECOMPAREDTOUNITEDSTATES

TENNESSEE UNITEDSTATES

#OFFATALITIES:

CONTACTWITH

OBJECTSOR

EQUIPMENT

%OFTOTAL

FATALITIES

#OFFATALITIES:

CONTACTWITH

OBJECTSOR

EQUIPMENT

%OFTOTAL

FATALITIES

2011 24 20% 708 15%

2010 31 22% 738 16%

2009 24 22% 741 16%

2008 27 20% 937 18%

LarryChubbs

Larry

Chubbs

worked

at

TAG

Manufacturing

in

Chattanooga,

a

company

that

makes

metalcomponentsoflargeconstructionequipment.OnMay8,2012Larrywasoperatingablasting

machinethatcleansanddescales largesteelparts. He losthis lifewhenanunsecuredfloor

panelofacatwalkgavewayandhe fell intothemachine'smovingparts. TheChattanooga

Times Free Press reported that "When workers found Chubbs' body in the machine, they

foundthepanelfromthecatwalkwithhim."Hewas54yearsold.

Asoftspoken,handsomeman,LarryChubbswasborn

in Chattanooga and spent his entire life there. Larry

and Annette, his former wife, raised two children,

Frederick and Kimberly, both grown and living with

their families in Chattanooga. He was friendly and

caring

thekind

of

man

that

people

turned

to

for

help.

In an outpouring of sympathy and grief, Larry's co

workers at TAG Manufacturing raised money to help

his family in the aftermath of his death. Larry was a

longtime member of Union Hill Baptist Church in

Chattanooga.

AnnetteandKimberlywerequicktoidentifyLarryasan

athlete.He lovedbasketballandbaseball,playedboth

sportsonschool teamsatCityHigh,andcontinued to

play throughout his life. Kimberly remembers all the

timesLarry

took

his

granddaughter

Shawnquell

to

the

park

to

play

baseball.

Inspired

by

her

grandfather,ShawnquellhopestoplaybasketballfortheLadyVols.

TOSHAfinedTAGMfg.atotalof$15,850forsixserioussafetyviolations,includingfailureto

secure the catwalk floorpanels, and six "nonserious"violations. Ironically, Larry's body was

discoveredbycoworkerswhocame lookingforhimwhenhe failedtoshowupforasafety

meeting.

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TNWORKERSLEFTBEHIND?EachyeartheUnitedHealthFoundationranksthe50states(plus

theDistrictofColumbia)onoverallhealth status (Erwinetal,2011). Highlypublicized in the

newsmedia,theserankingsarebasedonacompositeof24measuresofhealthdeterminants

andoutcomes.Oneoftheseisoccupationalfatalities.InFigure3,Tennesseesoverallhealth

rankamongthe50statesdoesnotshowastatisticallysignificantchangeoverthetimeperiodof

1992 to 2012. Meanwhile, over this 21 year time period the states rank for occupational

fatalitiesdeterioratedsignificantly.

Inessence,workinginTennesseehasbecomemoredeadly,compared to other states, at a time when the states overall health ranking hasnt changed

much. Recently, the trend forjob fatalities isastrikingmirror imageof improvements in the

statesoverallrankingthatbeganaround2008(shadedbox,Figure3).

FIGURE3.TENNESSEESOCCUPATIONALFATALITYVS.OVERALL50STATEHEALTHRANK

Usinglinearregressionanalysis,p=0.48andp


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BY COUNTY. Most workplace fatalities occurred close to cities, where there are larger

populationsandmoreworkplaces.In2011,36.8%ofallworkplacefatalitiesoccurredinornear

Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. In 2012, 31.4% of all workplace fatalities

occurred inornear thesemajor cities (representedbyShelby,Davidson,Knox,andHamilton

counties). The large number of workplace fatalities in Putnam County is from one

manufacturingcompanythathadmultipleflashfiresresultinginfivefatalitiesduetoburning.

Recently,the

Nashville

Davidson

County

Murfreesboro

metropolitan

statistical

area

earned

the

dubiousdistinctionofbeingrankedtenthonthelistofthedeadliestcitiestoworkin(Walters

2013).

15


18/55

Legend1-2 Fatalities

3-5 Fatalities

10-11 Fatalities

32 Fatalities

Britton Bridge Jobsite

Fatalities (2011-2012)

Hoeganaes FacilityFires/Explosions, Gallatin,

TN (2011)

Figure4.Numberofjobfatalitiesbycounty,20112012.

FlagsshowdeathsatHoeganaesfacility(Gallatin,TN)and

fourBrittonBridgejobsites.

16


19/55

KILLERCOMBUSTIBLEDUSTFIRESANDEXPLOSIONSINGALLATINTheHoeganaesCorporationinGallatin,TNwasthesiteofthreeflashfiresinearly2011.Three

employees survived their injuries, but five died of severe burns days or months later.

Hoeganaessuppliesironpowdertotheautoindustrytomakemetalparts.

Fine metal dust dispersed in air can

explode if ignitedby staticelectricity,

hot surfaces,oropen flameswhich

are ever present around machinery

and tools. After studying the

accidentsthatoccurredonJanuary31

and March 29, the U.S. Chemical

SafetyandHazardInvestigationBoard

(CSB) held a news conference in

TennesseeonMay11,2011,reporting

test results that showed how small

amounts of Hoeganaes iron powder

couldproducepowerfulflashfires.

Thethirdaccidentoccurred16dayslater,killingthreeandinjuringtwo.Theshockoftheinitial

explosion rained irondustdownon theworkarea,with fires igniting in theair. Anescaping

employeereportedvisibilityof34feet,evenwithaflashlightinhand.

CSBs investigation report revealed tonsofaccumulateddustup to four inchesdeeponmost

surfaces in the plant, resulting from inadequate sealing of equipment, dust collectors being

down for maintenance, and ineffective housekeeping. The facility, which had ramped up

production550%sinceitwasopenedinthe1980s,wasnotincompliancewithwidelyusedfire

codesforcombustibledustfacilities.Aninsuranceauditin2008hadwarnedofthedangers.

Legislationpending

inthe

U.S.

House

ofRepresentatives

(H.R.

691)

would

give

federal

OSHA

one

yeartoissuestrongerstandardstoprotectAmericanworkersfromcombustibledustexplosions

andfires.SimilarlegislationpassedtheHousein2008byalargebipartisanmajority,following

theexplosionatImperialSugarinWentworth,GAwhichkilled14workersandseriouslyinjured

38.

IronintheFire,aCSBvideoontheHoeganaestragediesinGallatinisavailableat

http://www.csb.gov/videoroom/.

SOURCES:1)HoeganaesCorporation:Gallatin,TN.MetalDustFlashFiresandHydrogenExplosion.CSB

CaseStudy(Washington,D.C.:U.S.ChemicalSafetyandHazardInvestigationBoard,December2011)31

pp.2)WorkerProtectionAgainstCombustibleDustExplosionsandFiresActof2013,H.R.6911131,9

pp.

17


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INJURIESANDILLNESSES

TRENDSININJURYRATES.Comparingstate rateswithoverallU.S.rates(Table6)revealsthat

the following employment sectors in Tennessee had consistently higher rates ofjob injuries

from2008 to2011: utility construction;mining;manufacturing;metal forgingand stamping;

animal slaughtering; hospitals; and residential facilities (i.e., nursing homes). Bakeries in

Tennesseehadrisinginjuryratesfrom2008to2010,atrendthatwasnotseennationally.

TABLE6.JOBINJURIESINTENNESSEEANDU.S.BYINDUSTRY(NAICS)PER100EMPLOYEES

(Sub)Sector 2011 2010 2009 2008 Note

TN US TN US TN US TN US ConsistentlyHigherinTN

TNTrend

Rising

Total,AllOccupations 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.2

Construction 3.7 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.1 4.3 3.7 4.7

Utilitysystems 5.4 2.9 4.4 3.5 6.1 3.8 6.0 4.1 X

Highway,street,

bridge

6.5 4.4 2.3 4.8 3.7 4.6 3.1 5.3

AllMining 2.9 2.2 3.4 2.3 3.4 2.4 3.2 2.9 X

Manufacturing 4.5 4.4 4.8 4.4 4.6 4.3 5.5 5.0 X

Woodproducts 8.1 6.5 5.9 6.2 7.9 6.5 7.7 7.2

Foundries 11.0 9.6 9.2 9.7 9.3 8.7 9.6 10.6

Metalforging

stamping

10.1 7.0 9.7 7.5 11.3 6.6 9.0 8.8 X

FoodManufacturing 5.8 5.6 5.8 5.8 6.4 5.7 5.5 6.2

Animalslaughtering 7.7 6.4 8.4 6.9 9.1 6.9 8.3 7.5 X

Bakeries 5.4 5.0 5.4 4.4 4.9 4.3 4.5 5.2 X

Beverageproducers 9.2 7.3 8.8 6.8 5.4 6.7 8.4 7.2

Retail 2.9 3.9 3.5 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.4 Transportation&

Warehousing

4.6 5.0 4.3 5.2 4.8 5.2 5.1 5.7

Airtransportation 7.2 7.3 8.6 8.1 10.4 8.5 9.7 8.7

FinancialServices 1.5 1.4 0.9 1.3 1.6 1.5 2.1 1.5

Education 2.1 2.1 2.8 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.3

Health&SocialCare 4.9 5.0 5.0 5.2 5.9 5.4 5.6 5.4

Hospitals 6.9 6.8 7.3 7.0 7.8 7.3 8.4 7.6 X

Residentialfacilities

9.1 7.8 8.7 8.3 9.2 8.4 9.0 8.4 X

Notes:Manufacturingrateincludesfoodandbeveragerates.

NAICSistheNationalIndustryClassificationSystemusedbyfederal

agencies

18


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TRENDS IN ILLNESS RATES. Consistently, Tennessee had higher rates of all occupational

illnessesthantheU.S.asawholefrom2008to2011(Table7).Assuming2,578,000employees

inTennessee,about5,600 to7,200 casesof reportableoccupational illnessoccureach year.

RatesofoccupationalhearinglossaresimilarlyelevatedinTennessee,comparedtothenation.

Forhearinglossandskindiseases(dermatitis),thestatesratesincreased,buckingthenational

trendfrom2008to2011.

These numerical estimates of for all occupational illnesses, based on federal data and state

employmentrates,appeartobediscrepantwiththeverysmallnumberofreportedfatalcases

on the In Memoriam list above. In fact, such discrepancies are consistent with under

reporting and lack of recognition of occupational diseases, compared to injuries. Also, the

estimateforillnessesincludescasesofhearinglossandskindisease,whicharenotfatal.

TABLE7.REPORTABLEOCCUPATIONALILLNESSESINTENNESSEEANDU.S.PER10,000

EMPLOYEES

Illness 2011 2010 2009 2008 Note

TN US TN US TN US TN USConsistently

higherinTN

TNtrend

whileUStrend

Total 22.3 20.6 24.7 21.1 22.1 21.3 28.1 23.4 X

Poisoning 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3

SkinDiseases 4.0 3.3 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.5 4.4 X

HearingLoss 3.6 2.1 3.1 2.1 2.7 2.1 2.8 2.4 X X

Respiratory 1.5 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.2 2.0 3.8 2.1

Source:BureauofLaborStatistics:Occupationalinjuriesandillnesses:Industrydata

(RATE/10,000)X(AVG.ANN.TNEMPLOYMENT). Rateper10,000isfromAllIndustriesDataat

http://data.bls.gov/cgibin/dsrv?ii.AnnualTNemploymentfrom20082011alsofromBLS.Lowestrateyearand

highestrateyearusedtocalculaterange:5,600to7,200cases.

19


22/55

ColdWarHero:BillVanBuskirk(1924

2012)

NMBeryllium

Machinist

Featured

in

Training

Video

http://www.lanl.gov/safety/videos/beryllium/module_3.shtml

Department of Energy workers everywhere lost a fighter and friend

when Bill Van Buskirk died on May 9, 2012 of complications from

chronic beryllium disease (CBD). He was exposed to beryllium as a

machinistatLosAlamosNationalLaboratoryinNewMexicowherehe

workedfrom1943to1979. WithtwobrothersservinginWorldWar

II,BillsignedontoworkwiththeManhattanProjectbecauseapolio

relateddisabilitykepthimoutofthearmedforces.

Diagnosed with berylliosis in the

early 1970s Bill became an

outspoken advocate for those

whose healthwas taken from them

byinadequateprotectionsatDOEfacilities.Ididmyjob,he

told government officials and 400 fellow citizens at a field

hearingoncompensationlegislationinMarch2000.Butsomeonedidntdotheirs.Helenthis

name and story to the campaign for the Energy Employees Occupational

Illness Compensation Program Act, and to a safety video now used

throughout the DOE complex, so that todaysmachinists might have better

lives.(Seeweblink,above)

Forced

from

his

precision

craft,

Bill

pursued

a

passion

for

photography

aroundhishomeinNewMexico,theninLakeStevens,Washingtonwherehe

andwifeBarbaraspenthislastyearstogether.

Wehadcorrespondence intheearlyyearsofbringingtheCBD issuestothe

publiceye,recallsGlennBell,theOakRidge leader,alsoamachinistdealing

with the disease. I feel proud to have been included with him in the

berylliuminformationvideo.Hewasapioneerandafighter.

Peaceroseby

BillVanBuskirk

He

was

a

pioneer

andafighter.

GlennBell(OakRidge)

Ihavefoughtthegood

fight,

Ihavefinishedthecourse,

Ihave

kept

the

faith.

2Timothy4:7

20


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DEPARTMENTOF ENERGYWORKERS. A select group of Tennessee workers at high risk of

occupational illness has benefited from the U.S. Department of Energys Former Workers

Medical ScreeningProgram. FormerworkersofOakRidgeNational Laboratory and the Y12

plantareeligibleformedicalscreening,andfollowuprescreening,bythe:

BuildingTradesNationalMedicalScreeningProgram(BTMed) UnitedSteelworkersWorkerHealthProtectionProgram(WHPP) EarlyLungCancerDetectionProgram(ELCD)and NationalSupplementalScreeningProgram(NSSP)

From 1993 to 2011, 11,648 free screenings of Tennessee DOE workers were performed.

Congressappropriated fundsforthisprogram in1993 inSection3162oftheNationalDefense

AuthorizationAct. The Energy EmployeesOccupational IllnessCompensationProgramActof

2000 (amended in 2004), provides federal compensation payments to DOE workers with

occupationaldiseasesandtheirsurvivors.SomeoftheseworkersarealsoeligibleforTennessee

stateworkerscompensation.

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UnnecessaryDeathsonPublicWorksProjects

One of the most disturbing patterns that emerges from an examination of the workplace

fatalitiesconsidered inthisreport isthecircumstancesunderwhichworkerswerekilledwhile

engagedinbuilding,repairing,maintainingandoperatingvitalpiecesofthepublicinfrastructure

inTennessee.Severalsetsofeventsdramatizethisproblemwithparticularclarityoverthepast

twoyears.

Tennessee Bridges. First, following the death of Ren Mendez on the Wolf River Bridge in

Memphisinlate2010,threeadditionalbridgeworkerswerekilled,twoin2011andthefourthin

2012,allemployedonprojectswheretheTennesseeDepartmentofTransportation(TDOT)had

contractedwithBrittonBridge LLCorwithMountain States,a closeaffiliate, to repairmajor

bridges in East Tennessee. (Harris, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 2010; Wiley, Wilson Post,

2010;Hickman& Jacobs,KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,Jan.25,2011,Jan.26,2011,May26,2011;

Jacobs,KnoxvilleNewsSentinel2012.) Ineachinstance,TOSHAinvestigationsrevealedserious

safetyviolationsbyBrittonBridgethatweredirectlyrelatedtothedeaths. (TOSHAInspection

Numbers315202093,315366112,315685552,and316483965.)

Ineachcase,thepenaltiesoriginallyassessedwereshockinglysmall,andinsomeinstancesthey

weresettledforevensmalleramountsthantheinitialassessment.InthecaseofRenMendez,

thefineTOSHAproposedfortheviolationsfoundwasonly$5,400.BrittonBridgecontestedthe

penalty,andthestateeventuallysettledfor$1,500(TOSHAInspection#315202093). Inthe

caseofJohnWomac,TOSHAproposed$16,750inpenaltiesforallviolationsfoundonsitethat

day (only $5,400ofwhich appeardirectly related toWomacsdeath), andmonths later, the

Department settled the entire case for $12,573 (TOSHA Inspection # 315366112; Alund,

KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,2012). InthecaseofSolnEstradaJimenez,thethirdmankilledona

BrittonBridgeproject ina littleover fivemonths, thepenaltiesTOSHAproposed for the two

citations it issuedagainstBrittonBridge,bothdirectlyrelatedtoEstradaJimenezdeath,were

$7,150(TOSHAInspection#315685552).InthecaseofAbimaelContreras,thefourthmankilled

on a Britton Bridgeproject in less than a year and ahalf, the combined penaltiesproposed

against both Britton Bridge and its subcontractor were $13,750, $10,000 of which was for

violationsrelatedtoContrerasdeath.BrittonBridgecontesteditsportionofeventhissmallfine

(TOSHAInspections#316483676and#316483965).

BrittonBridgeor itscloseaffiliateMountainStatesgainedprimarycontractsworthmillionsof

dollarstorepairthese fourbridges. TheydidsobygainingaccesstoTDOTsprequalification

listandthensubmittingthe lowestbid.NotonlydidTDOTprocurementrules failtospotthe

danger in time toprevent the first threedeaths,but the agency continued to retainBritton

Bridgeonitsexistingcontractsandevenrewardeditwithadditionalworkwhenseriouschange

orderswereneededontheHenleyStreetprojectmanymonthsafterthefourthdeathhadtaken

place(Jacobs,KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,2012).

22


25/55

These deaths and their aftermath indicate that TDOT badly needs to reform both its

procurement procedures and the way it monitors and manages projects after they are

underway. Itspresentscreeningprocessforhighwayandbridgeworkfailstoreliablyweedout

contractors with poor safety records. Its procedures for monitoring and disciplining its

contractors fail toassurea cultureof safetyon thejob. Its incentive structureshavevalued

scheduleandcostcuttingoverworkersafety.

TDOThastheauthorityandcapacitytochangemanyofthesepatterns. Infact,inresponseto

workerdeathsandresultingpublicoutcry,ithastakensomesmallstepsintherightdirectionin

the past year. We hope the needless deaths of four men on TDOT bridges will induce the

Departmenttodomore.

GatlinburgWastewater Treatment Plant. A second dramatic set of incidents took place in

Gatlinburg,at theCityswastewater facility. Partof thewastewatercomplexwasamassive

abovegroundtankcalledanequalizationbasin,whererawsewagewasheldpriortotreatment.

On April 5, 2011, a 40foothigh wall that formed one of the sides of the basin suffered

catastrophicfailure.Itfellsuddenlytopieces,crushingtheadjacentflowcontrolbuilding,killingthetwomenwhowereatworkthere,andsendingnearly1milliongallonsofrawsewageinto

theLittlePigeonRiver(Alund,KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,April2011).

FederalandstateOSHAprogramsworkedtogethertoinvestigatethecatastrophe,andthefinal

report included an assessment by an OSHA expert in forensic structural engineering. The

agencies concluded that the employer of the two victims, the company that ran the daily

operationsofthefacility,wasnotatfaultforwhathadoccurred,.Insteadtheyputtheblameon

adefectinthewallgoingbacktooriginalconstruction.TheKnoxvilleNewsSentinel,described

theOSHAfindingsasfollows:Whattheengineercalledacoldsmoothjointledtoleakageof

acidicwastewateracrossthejoint,and asaresult,corrodedtherebarsplicecouplersoveranumber of years. The basin, which dated from the 1990s, was designed by a Knoxville

engineering firmandbuiltbya construction company fromCharlotte,NorthCarolina (Alund,

KnoxvilleNewsSentinel,October2011).

The construction company thatbuilt thebasin in 1996,CrowderConstructionCompany,had

beencitedfornumerousOSHAviolationsinthetenyearsleadinguptotheconstructionatthe

wastewatertreatmentplant(OSHA,1995).Manyofthoseviolationswerefoundtoberepeat

orseriousviolations.Despitethesewelldocumentedsafetyproblems,thecompanywonthe

basinprojectcontract.Thishistoryraisesthequestion:hadstrongercontractingpoliciesbeenin

placeattheCityofGatlinburgduringthebiddingprocess,wouldCrowderhavebeendisqualified

fromgettingtheproject,givenitspoorsafetyrecord?Attheveryminimum,strongcontracting

protocolscouldhaveraisedsomeredflagsaboutthecompetencyofthecompanytobuildthe

basinsafely.Thesagaalsoremindsusthatsafepracticesonpublicworksprojectsareimportant

bothfortheworkerswhoareemployedinbuildingthem,butalsoforworkerswhowilllaterbe

employedinoperatingandmaintainingthem,andforthepublicthatwillusethem.

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26/55

Inanycase,thetragedyattheGatlinburgwastewaterfacilitydidnotendwiththedeathsofthe

twomenburiedwhen thebasincollapsed. In theaftermathof thatevent,with twoworkers

killedandanenvironmental calamity creatednextdoor toapreciousnationalpark, thenext

challenge facingGatlinburgwastheneedtodemolishtheruinedbasinandrepairthesite. In

Januaryof2012demolitionworkbegan.ByFebruaryofthatyearathirdworkerhadbeenkilled

onthesite. MichaelWellswasemployedbyRobersonConstructionandLandDevelopmenta

subcontractorofNEOCorporationtowhomGatlinburghadawarded thedemolition. Hewascuttingrebarwhiledowninanimproperlygradedtrenchwhenthewallsofthetrenchcollapsed

andhewasburiedindebris.

Trenching and excavation are known to be extremely hazardous when done without proper

precautions.Whentrenchingiscarriedoutcorrectly,thehazardscanbecontrolled.However,

doing thisworkcorrectlycosts timeandmoney,and the temptation to cutcorners is strong.

Meanwhiletheabilityofauthoritiestofindandmonitortheoftenfleetingpresenceoftrenching

operations is limited. Because of these factors, TOSHA has a Special Emphasis Program on

trenchingandexcavation.Butinthiscase,asintoomanyothers,thatprogramdidnotsucceed

in stopping dangerous practices. TOSHAs eventual inspection of the scene found that thetrenchwasnotproperlygraded,thattherewasnoprotectionsystemtopreventcaveins,and

that the requireddaily trench inspectionhadnotbeenperformed. TOSHA found these tobe

seriousviolationsandproposedapenaltyof$4,000foreachoftwoviolations.

BothofthetragicaccidentsattheGatlinburgwastewaterplantdemonstratehow important it

canbeforlocalcityandcountygovernmentstoscrutinizethesafetyrecordsofcompaniesthey

hire for engineering, construction and demolition. Responsible contracting rules cannot

preventevery injuryordeath,buttheycanseriouslyreducethem. Suchrulesareneedednot

onlyatthe levelofstateentities likeTDOT,butalsoatthe levelof localgovernments likethe

CityofGatlinburg.Strongsafetystandardsforcitycontractingcouldsavelives.

24


27/55

DONSTOREYDon Storey worked at the Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant on Banner Road in

Gatlinburg. On April 5, 2011, he and a coworker, John Eslinger, were working at the control

panel in the Flow Control building when the east wall of the adjacent containment basin

sufferedacatastrophiccollapse,flatteningtheFlowControlbuildingandcrushingbothmen.

Don

was

born

in

Connecticut

and

grew

up

in

Florida,

where

he

worked

as

a

highly

skilled

cabinet

maker.Hewasasingleparent,devotedtoraisinghisfourchildrenwhilelivinginFlorida.In2007

DonandAshley,hisfiance,movedthefamilytoTennessee.Thenewestmemberofthefamily,

theirsonJacob,waseighteenmonthsoldatthetimeoftheaccident.Jacobadoredhisfather.

Theyhada regular ritual in themorningwhere Jacobwouldwakeupearlywithhisdad,wait

whilehetookhismorningshower,and thensitdowntoorangejuiceandabowlofbreakfast

cerealbeforewatchingfromthedoorasDonleft

for work. Jacob often waited by the door and

watchedforhisdadwhenitwastimeforhimto

return.

Inordertohavemoretimewithhisfamily,Don

had

transferred

six

months

before

his

death

from the Pigeon Forge Wastewater Treatment

Plant to a first shift position at the Gatlinburg

facility. Don was a valued worker and was

encouraged by his supervisors to study for

advancementinthecompany.

Don lovedtheoutdoors.Hisfamilyhikedandcampedandtookfulladvantageoflivingsonear

theSmokies.Donalsohadapassionforbaseball,andplayedonhishighschoolteam.Hewasa

lifelongRedSoxfan,andpassedhis loveofthegamealongtohisfamily,boysandgirlsalike.

Often onsummerevenings the entire familywouldgo to abaseballgame together innearby

Seviervilleor

watch

one

on

TV.

In

his

last

years,

thanks

to

Ashley's

influence,

Don

had

become

anavidgolfer.

In their investigation of the accident federalOSHA wasbrought in toassessconditions at the

plant.TheyfoundnoproblemswithplantmanagementbyDonsemployer,butconcludedthat

thecatastrophiccollapseofthewallwasduetodefectsinthecontainmentbasin'sconcretewall

construction.Litigationisstillcontinuingaboutthosedefectsandwhoshouldbearresponsibility

fortheaccident. Anobviousquestion: WhatkindofscreeningprocessdoesGatlinburgand

other cities across Tennessee use to select the contractors who design and build facilities?

Could this disaster have been averted had greater attention been paid to the quality of the

contractorduringthebiddingprocessforthebasinconstruction?

Toaddtothetragedyofthebasincollapseinwhichtwoworkerslosttheirlives,anotherworker

diedwhiletryingtorepairthedamagedsite.Thesamequestionremains:WhatcouldtheCity

of Gatlinburg have done differently during the bidding process toensure greater attention to

safety and worker protection? These stories are a harrowing reminder of what can happen

whenpublictaxdollarsareawardedwithoutadequatelyscrutinizingcontractorsafetyrecords.

25


28/55

KUBWastewater Treatment Plant. A third dramatic incident involving contractors hired to

carryout thepublicswork tookplaceatanotherwastewater facility, thisoneownedby the

Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB). Like the Gatlinburg case, this incident demonstrates the

importanceofresponsiblecontractingatalocallevel.Onthelastdayof2012,MichaelTallent

wasworkingforW&OConstructionCompany,acontractorforKUB.Hewaskilledbyaboltof

electricityfromapowerline(AP,January2013).

StatementsmadebyaTOSHArepresentativetotheKnoxvilleNewsSentinelintheweeksafter

theaccidentpaintedadisturbingpictureofW&OConstructionCompanyandraisedevenmore

questionsaboutwhetherthecontractorssafetyrecordhadbeenappropriatelyanalyzedbyKUB

priortoitsawardofthecontract.AccordingtotheTOSHArepresentative,recordsshowedthat

W & O Construction had been cited for safety violations 11 times since 2009. Even more

damning, the infractions were over issues involving protective equipment, protection of

potentiallydangerousmaterialor items,or trainingmattersaccording to theTOSHAofficial

(Balloch,KnoxvilleNews Sentinel, January 2013). Furtheranalysis shows thatmanyof these

citationshadbeenseriousinnature(OSHA,2013).

Withsomanydocumentedsafetyproblemsinvolvingequipmentandtraining,whywasW&O

ConstructionabletowinthecontractwithKUBinthefirstplace?

Conclusion. Wearenotabletodetermine fromthe informationpresentlyavailabletousthe

extentofother fatalities thatmayhaveoccurredonpublicworksprojectsduring theperiod

coveredby this report. Inmany cases the dataprovide only thenameof aworkers direct

employer, so there isno easyway to findoutwhethermoreof the construction companies

involved insomeofthe fatalitiesontheInMemoriam listwerealsoworkingoncontractto

governmententities. But thedeaths recountedabovearemore thanenoughtodemonstrate

the importanceofresponsiblecontractingprinciples ingovernmentprocurement,bidding,and

supervisionofthepublicswork.

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29/55

MICHAELTALLENTMichaelTallenthadturned27onlyamonthbeforetheaccidentthattookhis life.Michaelwas

working as a craneman's helper for W&O Construction Co. atthe Kuwahee Wastewater

TreatmentPlant,aKnoxvilleUtilitiesBoard facility on Neyland Dr. in Knoxville.on New Years

Eve,2012.

As

the

crew

began

to

move

aload

of

sheet

metal

pilings,

the

crane's

main

hoist

line

cameintocontactwithoverheadpowerlines,resultinginMichaelbeingstruckbyafatalboltof

electricity.

Michael left behind a sixyearold daughter,Kylie Sue, whose mother andMichael had been

separated forsometime.Forthe lastyearofhis lifeMichaelhadbeen livingwithhisparents

whilehelookedforwork.HehadbeenemployedbyW&OConstructionCo.forabouttwoand

ahalfmonthswhentheaccidentoccurred.Michaelwasasimpleman.Generousand friendly,

hewasahardworkerwhowaswelllikedbyhiscoworkers.He

was planning to train as a welder and lookedforward to

acareerintheconstructionindustry.Hecamefromatightknit

Knoxvillefamily; he enjoyed helping his parents raise younger

children andgrandchildren.Michael's father, Rocky Tallent,says his son was an avidfisherman.He also loved to

writepoetry, and he left behind him a great many poems,

which are aconsolation tohis family for this son they lost far

tooearly.

TheTOSHAinvestigationoftheaccidentthattookMichael's life

charged W&O Construction Co. with ten serious safety

violationsandfined itatotalof$24,000. Thesafetyviolations

includedallowinguntrainedandunqualifiedemployeestowork

asqualifiedcraneoperators,riggersandsignalpersons.TOSHA

investigators

concluded

that

all

ten

safety

violations

"were

specificallyassociatedwithMr.Tallent'sdeath."

Aftertheaccident, theKnoxvilleNewsSentinelreportedthatW&Ohadbeencited forTOSHA

violations 11 times since 2009. That history certainly raises questions as to what KUB knew

aboutW&O'sdeplorablesafety recordwhen itentered intoacontractwith thatcompany,or

whatitcouldhaveknownifithadlookedintothematter.

27


30/55

ImmigrantandLatinoWorkers

Migration intoTennesseebypeople from LatinAmericahasbeenan importantdemographic

development for the state in recentdecades,although Latino residents (both immigrantand

nonimmigrant) still comprise only an estimated 3.9% of the population of the state (Kaiser

2011).Latinoworkersexperienceadisproportionatenumberoffatalitiesandseriousinjurieson

thejobinTennessee.Forinstance,intheyears2008through2011,between5.8%and7.5%ofalljobfatalitycaseswereHispanicworkers(Table8). Atleasthalfofthesedeathsoccurred in

thestatesconstructionindustry.

TABLE8.DeathsofHispanicWorkersinTennessee,20082011

Year

#FatalJob

Injuriesto

Hispanics

%ofAllJob

Fatalities

inTN

#ofHispanic

Construction

WorkerFatalities

2011 9 7.5% NA

2010 8 5.8% 6 2009 8 7.2% 4

2008 9 6.7% 6

Source:CFOI;NA=notyetavailable

Reasons for the disproportionate rate of injury and death suffered by Latino workers are

complex. BecauseTennessee isoneof thenationsnewdestinations,placeswhereLatinos

havebegunsettlinginsignificantnumbersonlyinrecentdecades,arelativelyhighproportionof

Latinos living inthestateare foreignborn. ImmigrantLatinosareoftenemployed inhighrisk

sectors like construction, demolition and agriculturewhere they are subject to greaterthan

normal hazards. Further, Latinos who are immigrants, and especially those without legal

immigration status, are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

Except in theunusual event that theyhave access to advocates, immigrantworkers are less

likely to know and exercise their legal rights to demand a safe workplace. Far too many

employershaveshowntheyarewillingtotakeadvantageofworkerswhoseimmigrationstatus

limitstheiroptionsandmakesthemfearfuloftakingaction(Bernhardtetal,2009).

Other factors that probably affect the disproportionate rate of illness and injury for Latino

workers include issuesof languageaccess. Manyemployershire immigrants,orcontractwith

companieswhoworkforceisheavilyimmigrant,butdonotadjusttheirordinaryroutinestotakeaccount of the new workforce. Without languageappropriate training and effective

communicationsystemsonthejob,injuriesanddeathsaremorelikelytooccur.

Thesetrendsaremanifestednotonly inthenumberssetoutabove,butalso inthestoriesof

individualworkerskilledduringtheperiodcoveredbythisreport. ThedeathsonTDOTbridge

projectsthatarereferencedatseveralpointsinthisreportprovideonesearingexample.Three

28


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outofthe fourmenkilledonthesebridgeprojectswereLatino immigrants. Inall fourcases

TOSHAfoundserioussafetyviolations.Lackofadequatetrainingwascitedintwoofthecases.

ABIMAELCONTRERASAbimael Contreras was 31 yearsoldon the dayhe slipped from abarge into60 feetof frigid

water inNickajack Lake in MarionCounty and was dragged tohis deathby aheavy toolbelt.This incident in March of 2012 brought to four the number of men killed on TDOT bridge

projects where the contractor Britton Bridge LLC was found responsible for serious safety

violationsrelatedtothelossoflife.

Originally from a small town called San

AndresTlalamacinAtlautla,Mexicowherehis

widowed father andseveral siblingsstill live,

AbimaelcametotheUnitedStateswhilestill

a teenager. In theyearssincehisarrival,he

stayedinclosetouchwithfamilymemberson

both sides of the border, but he had made

Tennesseevery

thoroughly

his

home.

AllhislifeAbimaelwasapersonwhomade

friendseasily,andotherpeoplewereoften

drawntohim.Hissisterswholiveandwork

inTennesseeandwhoseliveswereclosely

lacedwithhisdescribehowmanypeoplecametothefuneralhomeonthetwodayswhena

circleofbirthfamilyandfamilybymarriagereceivedfriendsthere.Theysaytherewasnoroom

forallthosewhocametopayrespects,includingfriends,fellowplayersfromhisbelovedsoccer

team,andcoworkersfromthedecadehehadspentaspartofaconstructioncrewonbridges

andotherjobs.ManyweremembersoftheLatinoimmigrantcommunitynearhishome,and

manyotherswerenativebornfriends.Abimaelwasequallycomfortableandconnectedinboth

communities.

Althoughhedidnotyethavebiologicalchildrenofhisown,Abimaelwasadevotedstepfather

to his wifes children. He will be sorely missed by this Tennessee family he left behind. His

Mexicanrelativesarealsodevastatedtolosethesonandbrothertheyhadnotseensinceheleft

homeinhisteens.

SomethingthatcauseshissistersspecialpainwhentheythinkaboutAbimaelsuntimelydeathis

thefactthathehadcomewithinafewmonthsofachievingalonghelddream. Heplannedto

leavehisemployerandgointobusinessonhisown.Foryearshehadbeensavingandplanning

forthedayhewouldopenhisown lawncarebusiness. Hissistershad longworriedabouthis

jobrequiringsuchheavyworkandaboutvariousways they felthisemployerdidnot treat its

workersfairly.

They

were

looking

forward

to

his

getting

out

from

under

all

that

and

beginning

tobuildhisandhisfamilysfuturemoreonhisownterms.

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ABIMAELCONTRERASAbimaelContrerastena31aosdeedadeldaquesecaydeunbarcoalaguafrade60pies

dehonduradelLagoNickajackenelcondadodeMarion,arrastradoalamuerteporelpesode

las herramientas que llevaba en su cintura. Este incidente que occuri en marzo de 2012

incrementacuatroelnmerodepersonasquesehanmuertoenproyectosdeconstruccinde

puentes auspiciados con fondos del Departamento de Transporte de Tennessee (TDOT) y

dirigidospor el contratista Britton Bridge LLC, y en los cuatro casos se ha determinado que

BrittonBridge LLCfue responsable de serias violaciones de seguridad que contribuyeron a la

prdidadeestasvidas.

Abimael proviene del pueblo San Andrs

Tlalamac del municipio Atlautla, Mxico,

dondetodavaradicansupadreenviudadoy

varioshermanos.AbimaelvinoalosEstados

Unidoscuandotena19aos.Durantetodos

estos aos siempre mantuvo relaciones

estrechasconmiembrosdesufamilia,tanto

enMxicocomoaesteladodelafrontera,y

considerabaaTennessee

como

su

hogar.

Toda su vidaAbimael era unapersona que

tenamuchos amigos, eramuy amigable, y

muchaspersonas se encariarondel. Sus

hermanas,queviveny trabajanenTennesseeyque loveanamenudo, tanentrelazadosque

eranen lavida cotidiana, relataronque losdosdasdelvelorio sufamiliadenacimiento y la

familiade su esposa recibieron tantaspersonasqueno caban en el lugar. Esas incluan sus

amigos, losjugadores de su querido equipo deftbol, y los trabajadores con quienes haba

compartidounadcadatrabajandoenpuentesyotrosproyectosdeconstruccin.Muchoseran

amigosde la comunidadde inmigrantes latinosquevivan cercade su casa,perovarioseran

amigosnacidosaquenlosEstadosUnidos.Abimaelsellevababiencontodosytenaamistades

delas

dos

comunidades.

Aunquenotenahijospropios,Abimaelfueunhombreatentoalosniosysededicaayudaren

lacrianzadeloshijosdesuesposaydesushermanas.SufamiliaenTennesseeloechademenos

tanto.YsufamiliaenMxico,devastados,porhaberperdidoaunhijoyhermanoquenohaba

podidoregresaravisitarlosdesdequesalidesupueblonatal.

Algo que le causamucho dolor a sus hermanas espensar que lamuerte deAbimael ocurri

cuandosololefaltabanunosmesespararealizarsusueodedejardetrabajarenconstrucciny

comenzarsupropionegocio.Poraosestuvoahorrandoyacumulandolamaquinarianecesaria

paracomenzarunnegociodecortarelpastoy mantener lasyardas. Sushermanasyatenan

muchos aos de estar preocupadas por el trabajo pesado de su hermano y las diferentes

manerasen

que

el

empleador

no

trataba

bien

asus

trabajadores.

Ellas

esperaban

ansiosamente

esemomentocuandoAbimaelibaapodersalirdetodoesoycomenzaracrearunfuturonuevo

paralyparasufamilia.

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Two other Latino construction workers fell to their deaths in 2012 on a site in Charleston,

Tennessee, outside of Chattanooga. There Wacker Chemie AG, a German multinational

chemicalmanufacturer, isbuildinga$2billionpolysiliconplant. HugoMendozaandRodrigo

MenaTrinidadwereemployedbyBakerConcrete,asubcontractoronthisgiantproject.They

were about six hours into their 4 pm to 2 am shift, working some 85 feet in the air on

scaffolding,whenthescaffoldcollapsedandtheybothfelltotheirdeaths.Asrecentlyreported

bylocalnewsmedia,TOSHAhasproposedfinesof$10,800againstBakerConcreteforfailuretoprovideworkerswithadequatetrainingandforfailuretoproperlysetup,testandsupportthe

specialscaffoldingsystemthatwasinuseonthesite.Thesamestoryreportedthatthreeofthe

employeesworkingonthesystemwerenewhires,andthesuperintendentoverthecrewhad

onlybegunworkingon thenight shift twoweeksprior to theaccident (Kalor,ClevelandDaily

Banner,2013).

It is unacceptable that we should run our states economy or should build and maintain its

infrastructureinawaythattakesunfairadvantageofaparticulargroupofpeoplewhohavefew

toolsat theirdisposal todefend their rightsor toalertauthorities todangerousconditionsat

theirplacesofwork.FederalOSHA,andthefederalDepartmentofLabormoregenerallyhave

begun in recentyears to recognize thewidespreadnatureof suchconditionsandhave taken

important steps to address the difficulty of enforcing labor standards in immigrantheavy

sectorsoftheeconomy.

Amongthesestepsaresignificantoutreachandeducationofemployeesandemployers,anda

greateremphasisonovercoming languagebarriers. But themeasuresadoptedalso reflecta

growing understanding by federal authorities of the need to offer protection to immigrant

workers who are willing to step forward and bring complaints. If workers are afraid that

deportationwillresultiftheyseektoimprovehealthandsafetyconditionsonthejob,fewwill

stepforward.Ifemployersareallowedtousethreatsofdeportationtokeeptheiremployeesin

line,thenabusesanddangerousconditionswillflourish.

Awareness of these dynamics has increasingly led federal immigration authorities to grant

immigrantwhistleblowersa specialvisawithworkauthorization,at least in certain situations

whereemployerabuseshavebeensevereenoughtoinvolvecriminalconduct.Theseprograms

are still quite limited, and not always well understood, but it is hoped that strengthened

versionsoftheseprogramswillbeincludedinfederalimmigrationreformifsuchreformsindeed

cometopass.Otherimportantelementstosuchareforminclude:apathwaytocitizenshipfor

most undocumented workers now in the country who are presently unable to adjust their

status;expandedaccesstoimmigrationreliefinthefutureforimmigrantworkerswhoseekto

improve their conditions of work and reduce dangerous conditions on the job; and moreaggressive enforcement of labor rights and labor standards for all workers immigrant and

nativebornalikeespeciallyforthoseinlowwageanddangerousoccupations.

Someof theseprotectionshavealreadybeenproposedordiscussed inCongress. Aprogram

proposedtoCongressin2011wouldprovideimportantimmigrationreliefforimmigrantwhistle

blowers (POWER Act, 2011), and a bipartisan proposal for immigration reform recently

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proposedbyagroupofeightU.S.SenatorsincludesthePOWERActandotherprovisionsaimed

atpreventingthecreationofasuperexploitableunderclass.

In the meantime, independently of immigration reform, concerns about intimidation and

retaliation against immigrant workers by employers who seek to use immigration law in

improperwayshavealsoledthefederalDepartmentsofLaborandHomelandSecuritytoenter

intoa seriesofagreements that seek to deconflict theirmissions. Theseagreementshave

begun to construct a firewallbetween the two armsof federalpolicy they represent: labor

standardsenforcementbyDOLontheonehand,and immigrationenforcementbyDHSonthe

other(SmithandCho,2013).

Unfortunately, the Tennessee General Assembly has begun to involve state agencies in the

enforcementof federal immigration law toan increasingdegree, and theyhave shown little

understandingof thesignificantproblems this involvementcancreate for theenforcementof

many different kinds of labor standards, but particularly for the enforcement of workplace

healthandsafetyrules. Tothecontrary,ratherthandeconflictingthesemissionsorbuildinga

firewallbetween laborenforcementand immigrationenforcement, theGeneralAssemblyhas

setthestageforeverincreasingconflictandentanglement.TheyhavetaskedtheDepartment

ofLaboritselfwiththeworkofenforcingnewprogramsthatrequireemployerstousesystems

thatare supposed todetectworkerswhodonothaveproperworkauthorization (Tennessee

PublicChapter436).Thisnewsetofresponsibilitiesfurtherdrivesawedgebetweenimmigrant

workers and the officials whose job is to protect them from workplace hazards. Such

developmentsmaketheworkofagencieslikeTOSHAsignificantlymoredifficult.

Manypartsofthestategovernmentcouldcontributetowardimprovingthissituationinvarious

ways.TheGeneralAssemblycouldpullbackitsillconsideredventureintofederalimmigration

enforcement. Itcould instructtheTennesseeDepartmentofLabortocreateastrong firewall

andcouldencourageittodomoretoprotectallworkers,includingimmigrants,fromdangeronthejob.

TOSHAitself,withsupportfromthelargerTennesseeDepartmentofLabor,shouldundertakea

seriousefforttounderstandandaddresstheproblem,includinganassessmentofthewaystheir

ownpracticesmaycontributetoit.Keystepsshouldinclude:

outreach to immigrantworkerswith informationaboutjobhazards, their rightsunderOSHA,andotherrightstowhichallworkersareentitled;

outreach toemployersabout the requirement thatsafety training foremployeeswithlimitedEnglishproficiencymustbeappropriatelydesignedanddelivered;

pointedtrainingandsupportforTOSHAinvestigatorstobetterassuretheeffectivenessofinvestigationsinimmigrantheavyworkplaces;

constructionofafirewallbetweenallactivitiesaimedatprotectionofworkplacehealthand safety and other activities of the Tennessee Department of Labor related to

enforcementofimmigrationlaw;and

assessmentofmaximumfinesonthoseemployerswhofailtoprovideadequatetraining32


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andasafeworkingenvironmenttotheseparticularlyvulnerableworkers.

Crucialtoanyeffortwillbethehiringandtrainingofbilingualinvestigativestaffwhoarefamiliar

with the realities of the immigrant workforce and with approaches and procedures that are

welldesignedtodealwiththoserealities.

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WorkplaceViolence

NumerousworkplacehomicidesoccurredinTennesseein2011and2012.Theseincluded:

Atleastfourlawenforcementorprivatesecurityworkerskilledbysuspects Onebusinessownershotbyanemployee Oneretailworkershotbyacustomer Principalstabbedtodeathbyastudent

Preventingworkplace violence is the focusof a growingnumberofpolicies and intervention

programs.

TheFBIsNationalCenterfortheAnalysisofViolentCrime(NCAVC)definesworkplaceviolence

broadlytoincludedomesticviolence,stalking,threats,harassment,bullying,emotionalabuse,

intimidation,andother formsofconductthatcreateanxiety, fear,andaclimateofdistrust in

theworkplace (Ragalaand Isaacs,2002). NCAVCscategorization scheme (Table9) iswidely

used.

TheNational Institute forOccupational Safety andHealth (NIOSH)produced its first report

addressingworkplaceviolence in1988. Thetopicpickedupmomentum in the1990s (NIOSH,2004).

FederalOSHAdidnt issue instructions for investigating incidents of workplace violenceuntil

2011,usingitsauthorityundertheGeneralDutyClauseoftheOSHAct(29USC654(a)(1);OSHA

2011) . TOSHAs EnforcementProceduresfor Investigating or InspectingWorkplaceViolence

becameeffectivein2012(TOSHA2012).

Employersarenotgenerallyheld liableundercivil law foractsofworkplaceviolence thatare

random occurrences, only those that are characteristic of an area of employment. Yet

employersmayfaceliabilityfornegligence,negligenceinhiringandretention,failuretowarn

potentialvictims,andfailuretorepudiateincidentsofworkplaceviolence(Barish2001).

TABLE9.NCAVCsCategoriesofWorkplaceViolence

TYPE DEFINITION RISKFACTORS EXAMPLES

1 Criminals,withnoconnectiontothe

workplace.Entertocommitrobbery

oranothercrime.

Nightwork

Isolatedsituations

Accesstomoney

Taxidrivers

Nightretailclerks

2 Directedatemployeesbycustomers,

clients,patients,studentsorothers

servedbyaninstitution

Interactwithrisky

individuals

Policeofficers

Mentalhealth

workers

Nurses3 Presentorformeremployee.Against

coworkers,supervisorsormanagers.

Basedonpersonalrelationships.

Soanyoneinanyjobmaybeatrisk4 Nonemployeehasapersonal

relationshipwithanemployee(e.g.,

abusivespouse)

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Type1incidentsarethefocusofOSHAsRecommendationsforWorkplaceViolencePrevention

Programs in LateNight Retail Establishments (OSHA 2009). Straightforward and easy to

understand, this voluntary guidancedocumentprovides recommendations thatare costand

timeeffective.

Types2,3and4 incidentsareaddressed in theTennesseeDepartmentofChildrensServices

documentWorkplaceViolencePreventionGuidelines. It coverswarning signsand risk factors,

types

of

forbidden

actions,

environmental

controls,

requirements

of

management,

reporting

procedures,prohibitionofweaponsbythedepartment,evaluationandthereferralofpossible

atriskindividuals(TDCS2011).

An epidemiologic study in North Carolina interviewed managers of establishments struck by

workplacehomicide6+months later to identifypreventiondevices that lowered theoddsof

homicide. Those measures which showed a reduction in risk were locked and secured

entrances,andthepresenceofatleastonesecuritydevice.Alarmstoalertauthoritieshadthe

largesteffect(Gurkaetal,2012).

Leading programs to stem workplace violence are based on regulations in New York and

Washington forpublicemployees (12NYCRR800.6)and latenight retailworkers (WAAdmin

Code296832300),respectively,andanOregonstatuteforhealthcare(ORH.B.2022,2007).

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Enforcement

TOSHA fines are too low to effectively deter employers frommaintaining unsafeworking

conditions.TOSHAimposedanaveragefineofjust$880.60foraseriousviolationonethat

presents thepotential for seriousbodilyharm toanemployee.Thiscompareswith$2,132.60

whenfederalOSHAissuesaseriouscitation.BoththefederalOSHActandTennesseestatelaw

limitmaximum fines to a low level ($7,000). In fiscal year2011,TOSHA fineswere reduced

28.9%onaverageinabureaucraticprocessthatconsiderstheemployersgoodfaithefforts,

amongotherfactors(FAMEReport,2011).

TOSHAisfarlesslikelytociteemployersforseriousviolationsoftheOSHActthanisfederal

OSHA.Just47%ofTOSHAcitationsareserious,comparedto73%forfederalOSHA.In2011

50%ofviolationsweredeemed other than seriousbyTOSHA compared to22%byFederal

OSHA.Otherthanseriousviolationscarrylowerpenalties(FAMEReport,2011).

FederalOSHAisseventimesmorelikelythanstateTOSHAtoissuewillfulcitations.Onlya

tiny fraction (0.1%) of violations were judged willful an intentional violation or plain

indifferencetothelaw(FAMEReport,2011).

Strongenforcementalsorequiresresources,andTOSHAneedsmoreadequatesupportifitis

tosucceed.TOSHAneedsmoreinvestigators,andmoreofthemshouldbebilingual.

FATHEROFTWOKILLEDINBUCKETTRUCK:$9,000FINECONTESTED

In the summerof2012,BruceLeeMarion (29), fatherof two,waskilledwhilehanging cable

fromabucket truck.A truckdrove through theworkareaandbecame caughton the cable,

causing thecable to fatallystrikeMarion. J&RCableofHuntsvillewas issued threeviolations:

nothavingapersontrainedinfirstaidonthecrew,nothavingaflaggerorothertrafficcontrol

deviceinthearea,andnotrequiringtheemployeetowearaharnessinthebuckettruck.AsaresultofthedeathJ&RCablewasfinedapproximately$9,000,whichtheyarenowcontesting.

Sources:www.wate.com/story(Channel6,Knoxville)Feb.13,2013andAugust22,2012.

AccessedApril7,2013.

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MICHAELWELLSOn Feb. 23, 2012, Michael Wells was working on a demolition crew at the Gatlinburg

Wastewater Treatment Plant. The crew was removing the remains of a huge concrete

containment basin that had collapsed catastrophically in April, 2011, killing two workers.

Michaelwascuttingrebar inatrenchwhentheearthenwallsofthetrenchgaveway.Hewas

struckandkilledbyfallingdebrisasthetrenchcollapsedonhim.Hewas57yearsold.

MichaelwasanativeofAsheville,N.C.andspenthisentire lifethere.Hewasa loving family

man.Marjorie,hiswife,hastwodaughters,CynthiaandRebecca,byapreviousmarriage.They

weretheappleofMichael'seyeandhealwaysreferredtothemas"hisdaughters."Asayoung

manMichaelhadservedintheU.S.Navy.HewasanactivememberofRiversideBaptistChurch

in Asheville. Marjorie said that Michael equally loved fishing and gospel music. Michael and

MarjorielovedtotravelaboutWesternCarolinaattendingauctions.

Peggy described her husband as a

generous, giving man. He had willed his

body to a medical school in the hope that

he could help others through medical

research.

Given the distance between Asheville and

Gatlinburg, Michael stayed overnight in

Gatlinburg during the work week. The

weeks before the accident had been

stressful ones in which Marjorie had

undergone surgery and been hospitalized.

Shehadbeen released from thehospital in

timeforthecoupletospendtheweekendbeforetheaccidentathometogether.OnMonday,

while family stayed with Marjorie, Michael returned to work in Gatlinburg. On Thursday

morning,before

he

left

for

work,

Michael

called

home

to

wish

Marjorie

abeautiful

day

and

to

tellherhelovedher.Itwasthelasttimeshewouldhearherhusband'svoice.

TOSHA investigators charged Michael's employer, Roberson Construction and Land

Development,Inc,ofEnka,N.C.,withthreeserioussafetyviolations,includingfailuretoprovide

aprotectivesystemtosafeguardagainstcollapseofthetrenchwalls.Thecompanywasfineda

totalof$7,200.

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Nomatterhowfarwehave comeas

asocietytheresstillsomepeople

whothinkworkersareexpendable

andthattheirlivesdontmatter.

-- David Uhlman, Prosecutor in The

Cyanide Canary (2004), a required

textbook for Public Health Law at ETSU

CRIMINALPROSECUTIONOFJOBFATALITIES

Legal Background. For a criminal conviction under Section17(e) of the OSHAct, or similar

sectionsofstateplans,prosecutorsmustdemonstratethat:(1)theemployerwillfullyviolateda

specific OSHA regulation; and (2) the employer's willful violation caused the death of an

employee.Theburdenofproofonprosecutorsisgreat,andthemaximumpenaltyemployersor

companiesfaceisonlyamisdemeanor($10,000fineand6monthsimprisonment).

Statistics. In the five years between 2003 and 2008, OSHA investigated 9,800 workplace

fatalities.Only237wereconsideredeligibleforreferraltotheU.S.DepartmentofJustice(DOJ).

OSHA referredjust 50 fatalities toDOJ with ten cases continuing on to criminalprosecution

(SenateHearing,2008).ProsecutorshavedeclinedtopursuethemajorityofOSHAcases.Asof

2008, only eight had resulted in prison sentences. (Criminal Prosecutions of Workplace

Fatalities, 2008). It is generally believed that DOJ

declinestoprosecute themajorityofcasesbecauseof

the misdemeanor status of the penalties (Barrett,

2011).

Tennessee. To date, no criminal prosecutions for

workplace fatality incidentshavebeenpursuedwithin

theStateofTennessee.Butcasesinneighboringstates

provide awindow into the kindsof facts that can get

prosecutorsattention.

GeorgiaCaseofMITTankWash,aSavannahtankcleaningcompany.CompanyownerRobert

Swinghad on previousoccasions receivedwarnings fromOSHA about theneed to purchase

proper safety equipment for his employees. Despite these warnings and the potential for

violations,Swingneverprocuredtheequipment.OnMay11,1993,anemployeeenteredatank

alone, without any safety equipment, and died from toxic vapors. After a two year

investigation,inJuneof1995SwingpledguiltytoawillfulviolationofOSHAsafetyregulations.

Hewassentencedtosixmonthsinjail,oneyearofprobation,andafineof$190,000.Thiscase

wastriedinGeorgiausingfederalOSHAregulationsbecauseGeorgiadidnothaveanOSHAstate

plan(CriminalProsecutionsofWorkplaceFatalities,2008).

SouthCarolinaCaseofSouthEastTowers,acommunications towercompany. Anemployee

fell 150 feet to his death while retrieving equipment from a communications tower in

Jacksonville,Florida. SmithandDennis, the twoowners,attempted tohide the fact that this

employeewasnotwearingpropersafetyequipmentwhenhefell. Bothpledguiltytoawillful

violation inApril 1997. Theywere sentenced to threemonths inprison, and together were

orderedtopayroughly$7,300fortheemployeesfuneral.ThiscasewastriedinSouthCarolina

usingstateplanregulations(CriminalProsecutionsofWorkplaceFatalities,2008).

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NeedforStrongerSafeguardsintheConductof

Investigations

Because of the fundamentally unequal power relationship between workers and employers,

workplacefatalitiesoftenpresentcircumstancesthatcancreateseriousproblemsbothfortheprotectionofworkersandfortheintegrityofinvestigations. Inaneconomywheregoodjobs

remainscarceinmanysectors,thesecurityofworkersandtheirfamiliesoftendependsontheir

stayinginanemployersgoodgraces.Somecallthispaycheckvulnerability. Especiallywhen

employees are not represented by a union, or when they have particular reasons such as

precariousimmigrationstatusthatmightmakethemmorethanordinarilyfearfulaboutraising

complaints,theymustthinklongandhardbeforetheydecidetobringaquestionabouthealth

andsafetytotheiremployerortotheauthorities,eveniftheyknowitistheirlegalrighttodo

so.

Goodinvestigatorsunderstandsuchdynamics,andtheyoftendowhattheycantoassurethatthey get to the truth of the matter at hand. But a close reading of several TOSHA fatality

investigationsrelatedtocasesdiscussed inthisstudysuggeststhat investigatorsneedperhaps

more training,anddefinitelymore support from theirsuperiorsand fromagencyprocedures,

before theywillbe able tomake sure they are in aposition to carryout investigationswell

designedtogetalltherelevantfacts.

In thosecaseswhere investigatorsdoagoodjobofdocumentingdetailsabout the courseof

their investigations,TOSHAsown files canprovidean importantwindowontoproblems that

mayoccur ifeffective safeguardsarenot inplaceand fully functioning. For instance,TOSHA

investigationreportsrevealthatinatleastthreeofthefourrecentfatalityinvestigationscarried

out by the agency after workers died on TDOT bridge projects, attorneys for the contractor

BrittonBridgeLLC,wereallowed to sit inon interviewswithemployeewitnesses.Theowner

himself was allowed to observe the interview in at least one of these investigations. (See

reports on TOSHA Inspections Number 315202093 (Ren Mendez), 315366112 (John

Womac),and316483965(AbimaelContreras)).

ToleratingthepresenceofsuchpartiesisdirectlycontrarytoTOSHAsownprotocols,aswellit

shouldbe. Thatmanualwiselyprovides that interviewsof employeeswillbe conducted in

private, and that TOSHA investigators are entitled to question such employees in private

regardless of employer preference. It further provides that Interference with [an

investigators] ability to conduct private interviews with employees includes attempts by

management officials or representatives to be present during interviews. (TOSHA Field

OperationsManual,2009,SectionVII.I.4,p.315.)

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The reasons forsucha ruleareboth importantandobvious. Confidentialityhelps toprevent

intimidationofwitnessesorretaliationagainstthem,aworthygoalformanyreasons.Butarule

like this protects more than the individual workers themselves. It operates to assure the

integrityandaccuracyoftheinvestigatorsfindings. Inacasewhereemployeesthemselvesare

notprotectedbyacollectivebargainingagreement,andwheretheyarenotrepresentedinthe

course of the TOSHA investigation by a union, by counsel of their own, or by any other

employee representative, the strict maintenance of such confidentiality rules is particularlyimportant. Employees in all four of the bridge death cases lacked such protection or

representation. In addition, Latino immigrant workers were involved as victims and/or

witnessesinallfourcasesaswell.

Despite these danger signs, TOSHA investigators somehow allowed this dangerous and

substandardpracticetogoforward.Insomecases,atanemployersorattorneysrequest,they

even postponed interviews until days after the fatality, thereby further compromising the

reliabilityofevidenceeventuallygathered.Inatleastonecase,thedecisiontoallowtheowner

and his attorneys to be present at employee interviews was explicitly approved by TOSHA

authoritiesinNashvillewhowereconsultedbytelephonefromthescene.

Situationslikethosedescribedaboveshouldnotbeallowedtodevelop.Noinvestigatorshould

feel any ambiguity about whether this was properprocedure; no investigator should be left

without ready tools to stop such interference; and no investigation should be allowed to

proceed to completion on the basis of findings made under such compromised and suspect

conditions.

Without strong rules, however, cases like these are likely to occur whenever employers are

aggressivelyrepresentedbycounselwhiletheirworkersdonothavetheassistanceofalawyer,

or an organization such as a union, worker center, or other worker rights group that couldcompetently and energetically represent them without a conflict of interest. Unfortunately,

thesearepreciselythecircumstances thatexistmoreoftenthannot inTennesseeworkplaces

Documents

Tennessee Workers: Dying for a Job 2013 Report