142+3= Too Many Deaths!

“If you wanted to have that safety equipment, the worker had to buy it himself.” – Hector Hernandez on Safety in Construction

Michael King of the Austin Chronicle has a great article on worker safety in the state of Texas. It begins with a recap of the death of three construction workers in Austin on the eve of a press conference held outside City Hall in which the Workers Defense Project released statistics on worker safety in the Lone Star State.

142 workers died in the State of Texas in 2007 … more than any other state in the union. Not exactly the type of statistic that we want to go around touting. Is it any surprising that 3 out 4 construction workers do not have health insurance. Adding to the dillema is the fact that employers are not doing their part to rectify the issue whether it is before or after an accident.

The State of Texas is not completely at fault though … the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) which is a federal agency under the Department of Labor is responsible for safety compliance.

Yet, Michael Cunningham of the Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO has an interesting perspective on OSHA’s uphill battle.

"OSHA is so understaffed, especially over the last 10 years,” said Cunningham, “someone calculated that just in Texas, it would take 300 years for their staff to inspect every site."

But … here’s the kicker … not only was OSHA understaffed but when they did get to inspect a site it was like a take home test.

King adds that, "Hernandez said that the inspections were often scheduled in advance, and workers doing dangerous jobs were either sent home or told not to work those tasks while the inspectors were present."

Nonetheless, this is a great short read that should be read by any Texan that works. To read the article in its entirety head over to the Austin Chronicle website or pick up a copy (page 19) of the publication if you are in the Austin area.