August 2-8, 2002

A TRAGEDY AT FORD FIELD
When painter Gjon Gojcaj swung himself into the work basket of his hydraulic manlift at 7:30 a.m. on July 30, his mind was on his work. Ascending 150 ft., he spent around two and a half hours spray painting roof trusses, preparing Ford Field so that it could be ready for its first Detroit Lions football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 24. Undoubtedly he was not expecting any catastrophes. But a sudden, massive failure of his manlift caught him by surprise. The equipment toppled and crashed on its side. The 42 year old father of five fell to his death. According to newspaper accounts, construction workers say an outrigger on the manlift gave way before the machine fell over. And indeed, a photograph published on the front page of the July 31st Detroit Free Press shows the manlift with only its rear outriggers extended. No outriggers are visible on its side or front end. A pool of fluid appears on the left side that looks like it may have been underneath the machine. There's no way to judge from just the photograph to determine if the suspicious pool was formed as a result of the accident, or was created by something that had leaked beforehand. Officials from the Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration are now conducting an investigation into the accident. The late Mr. Gojcaj's employer, Thomarios Painting of Athens, Ohio, had recently been issued two citations by MIOSHA for serious violations at Ford Field but they were unrelated to the manlift's condition. Instead they focused on scaffolding and fall protection safeguards. One of Mr. Gojcaj's fellow painters, Marcia Anderson, was cited by the Free Press as a witness of his death. According to her, the manlift had been inoperable on July 29 - the day before the accident - due to hydraulic pump problems. She said she had refused to go up on the manlift on July 30 because she felt it was unsafe. After the accident workers were sent home and the project was closed for the remainder of the day. When they returned on July 31st, a 20 minute memorial service was held. Empty paint buckets were passed among the 800 workers who attended to gather contributions for the dead painter's family. A memorial fund has been started by the Detroit Lions for his survivors. Donations can be made in Mr. Gojcaj's name at any Comerica bank branch in southeastern Michigan.

CRIMINAL CONDUCT
Condemning the electrocution death of Robert Sorge, on July 29th the Michigan Dept. of Consumer & Industry Services (CIS) announced the resolution of the criminal prosecution of J.A. Morrin Concrete Construction Co., Toledo, Ohio, and its foreman, Jim Morrin, Jr. During the summer of 2000 the company contracted with Sylvester Material Co., Sylvania, Ohio, to deliver gravel to a strip mall project it was building at 119 Waterstradt Commerce Dr. in Dundee, Michigan. A 7600 volt power line ran across the site's east end. Morrin had received notification and several warnings that no work could be conducted under the power line until it was de-energized and moved. On Aug. 11, 2000, foreman Jim Morrin Jr. had directed several gravel hauler tandem rigs to the east end of the site to deliver crushed gravel. One 24 year old driver, Robert Sorge, was directed by Mr. Morrin into the area under the power line. He successfully dropped his first load, then pulled forward and unhitched the empty box. Mr. Morrin directed him back under the overhead line and told him to raise his truck bed. When the truck bed came in contact with the energized power line Mr. Sorge was electrocuted and severely burned. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A lengthy MIOSHA investigation determined that Morrin Concrete had placed workers in unsafe and hazardous conditions. On April 23, 2001, two citations for alledged willful serious violation of the MIOSHA Act were issued to J.A. Morrin Concrete Construction Co., with penalties totaling $140,000. The subcontractor, Sylvester Material Co., received one alleged willful serious and one alleged serious citations, with penalties totaling $56,000. Last week James Morrin Jr. entered a guilty plea to the criminal charge regarding the MIOSHA willful criminal citation. His company entered nolo contendere (no contest) pleas to two charges covering its MIOSHA citations as well as a criminal charge of involuntary manslaughter. The pleas carry a maximum criminal penalty of $27,500 combined. Mr. Morrin faces up to one year in jail. Sentencing on all counts will be held Oct. 10 at 8:30 a.m. in the Monroe County Circuit Court. "We hope the memory of the needless death of Robert Sorge will help prevent future workplace tragedies," commented Kalmin Smith, deputy director of the CIS. "This criminal resolution should be a warning to all employers to carefully examine their workplace, and make sure they are providing a safe and healthy environment to their employees."

PROMISES, PROMISES
As this column was being put to bed, I was still awaiting word from Detroit City Council on the fate of permanent facilities for Motown's three casinos. An extension had been passed allowing the body to delay its decision on the plans offered by the casinos until Friday, Aug. 2. The council was then to make up its mind on at least some of the proposals before beginning a recess extending through Labor Day. Reportedly one council member was going to attempt to introduce a proposal being advanced by Detroit developer Don Bardon for a fourth casino. However, even if that idea wins council approval, it will still need official blessings from Michigan's legislature before being granted a gaming license. Meanwhile, on July 30th officials from MGM Grand Casino issued a very sketchy plan calling for a $500 million permanent facility to rise on a 25 acre site bordered by Third Ave., the Lodge Freeway, Bagley St., and I-75. Most of the property is to be purchased from DTE Energy. John Redmond, president and chief operating officer of MGM Grand Resorts, said his company will be hiring local architects to design his project and will use local contractors to build it, with a strong effort being made to recruit women and minority owned businesses. In building the casino's temporary facilities some 40% of the construction contracts went to small businesses or those owned by women or minorities, he told the city council. He added that 52% of the temporary casino's employees are Detroit residents and 65% are minorities.

UPDATING CRANE SAFETY
The current federal safety standards for cranes and derricks - 29 CFR 1926.550 - dates back to 1971 and is based in part on industry consensus standards from 1967 to 1969. Responding to calls for modernization, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration has announced its first step, issuing its intent to enter into negotiated rulemaking. "Changes in technology and work processes over the past 30 years call for new, revised crane and derrick safety requirements," commented John Henshaw, assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, on the call, published in the July 16 issue of the Federal Register. Comments are now being accepted until mid-September on OSHA's outlines of its basic procedures for forming a negotiated rulemaking advisory committee. The committee's charge? To develop a draft proposed rule. The outlines also identify the stakeholders who may be affected and solicits nominations for committee members. OSHA expects the committee will be examining a range of topics covering such issues as work zone control; crane operations near power lines; crane operator standards and certifications; the qualifications of mechanics and others who repair, maintain, and assemble cranes and derricks; and safety related devices and technologies.

COLD SPLASH OF REALITY
Newspaper reports of a problem faced by Torre & Bruglio, a non-signatory landscape contractor operating in southeast Michigan, caught my eye last week. They reminded me of the late 19th and early 20th century histories I've been reading about the American labor movement. Back in those "good old days," while the union movement was still in its infancy, it was common for workers to rent beds. The wages they were being paid, of $1 to $1.50 for a 12-14 hour day, were too low to afford them individual housing. (That's about $20-30 a day in 2001 money, well below the $41.20 earned in eight hours under today's federal minimum hourly wage of $5.15, last raised in 1997.) In some instances - photo-documented by the Ford Motor Company's "Sociology Department" under the direction of the senior Henry Ford - a dozen or more men would share five or six beds crowded into a house's dining room. The men would sleep in shifts, keeping mattresses warm for when their replacements came back from work. Now, flash back to modern times, where employers are more enlightened and socially responsible. Supposedly. Torre & Bruglio has been employing about 120 Mexican migrants, having them work a season extending from April to November. To house them the landscape contractor has been renting beds in eight residences in the city of Pontiac. Assuming newspaper accounts are correct, each worker is charged $30 per week. The result? According to my calculations, approximately $1,800 of rent per month for each house. One would think that large a revenue stream should be enough to maintain the houses in decent condition. Inspections by city of Pontiac officials have apparently concluded otherwise. On July 29th the officials condemned all eight, declaring them overcrowded. They ordered Torre & Bruglio to make repairs. The migrant workers have been moved to apartments until their employer can bring their housing back up to code. Do you sense a parallel here, partial if not otherwise? History too often is repeated, especially by those who are ignorant of it, or at least blinded in their pursuit of the Almighty Dollar. If Michigan were to become a "right to work" state, or if unions were ripped out of business, would we see a return of similar practices? Of employers who work people hard but pay them little - so little they can't afford housing decent enough to pass a visit by the health department? Is widescale homelessness for the working poor the wave of the future? Some, most notably Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America, say it's already here.

Questions? Comments? Idea?
Please submit your responses to the Great Lakes Fabricators & Erectors Association as soon as possible. You can call our new offices in downtown Detroit at 313/309-2000. Or you can drop an email to Guy Snyder at guysny@concentric.net or call him at 313/961-9217. We hope to hear from you soon!