Thread: electrocution at construction site- Boston

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... tion_site/



Unsafe conditions seen in electrocution at construction site
By Raja Mishra and Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | September 8, 2006

BROCKTON -- Two Ecuadoran contractors putting aluminum siding on a Fairhaven apartment building Wednesday afternoon failed to cover an exposed power line sizzling with 13,000 volts of electricity just feet from their scaffold, authorities said.

In a flash, the construction scene became a hellish tableau.

Rescue workers arrived to find one man dead after a three-story plunge into the street, while the other worker lay on a roof ledge, engulfed in flames. Rescuers thought he, too, was dead until they noticed a slight twitch of his hand. They rushed him to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he was in critical condition yesterday.

``In my 25 years as a police officer, I've seen some pretty horrific scenes," said Fairhaven police Chief Gary Souza , one of the first to arrive. ``But seeing a man on fire who was moving, and not being able to get up to help him, certainly ranks as one of the most horrific scenes I've ever seen."

Police said Angel Caguana , 42, was killed after the electrical surge knocked him from the scaffold on which he was working. His cousin, Luis Antonio Caguana , suffered major burns and injuries from falling two stories onto a roof ledge.

The plight of the two Ecuadoran workers, who police said were in the country illegally, underscores the difficulties of ensuring the safety of Massachusetts' hundreds of undocumented workers, a challenge state officials have struggled with in recent years.

The most familiar scenario involves unscrupulous employers hiring cheap labor without having proper safety measures in place.

But the accident Wednesday presented a new wrinkle. The Caguanas worked for a third Ecuadoran, Manuel Tenezaca, with whom they shared a Brockton triple-decker. The three formed their tiny, unauthorized company just three days earlier after failing to find jobs, relatives said.

Illegal immigrants often face workplace dangers because they are afraid to seek help from authorities or are unaware of proper safety measures, said Marcie Goldstein-Gelb , executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.

``There's completely insufficient resources available to ensure that people going out to do dangerous work are properly trained and have the proper safety information," Goldstein-Gelb said. ``We see this all too often, but this is an unusual case."

Goldstein-Gelb recently led an effort to help Vietnamese floor sanders, who have been involved in several accidents recently after chemicals they used ignited.

``Immigrants often end up with these jobs because they have no other options," she said. ``We have to try to do more to reach out to them to ensure they are safe on the job."

Tenezaca, described by police as the owner of what the men called MT Construction, could not be reached for comment yesterday. The company was not registered with the secretary of state's office, which regulates businesses.

``It appears that they took no precautions for the safety of their workers," Souza said. ``They were supposed to call NStar to have coverings put on them, but they didn't."

Fire Chief Timothy Francis told the New Bedford Standard Times that MT Construction had called NStar to shield another side of the building, but not the side where they were working Wednesday.

The accident is under investigation by the Bristol district attorney's office and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The men could be charged with federal safety violations, police said, and could face deportation.

The men were hired to install the aluminum siding by the owner of the Fairhaven apartment building, Konrad St. Gelais of Acushnet, police said.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Few details about the men could be gleaned yesterday. Angel Caguana's sister-in-law, who identified herself as Maria Cela and lives in the Cross Street triple-decker, said a group of Ecuadorans moved to the area three months ago from Newark, N.J.

Work was scarce there, she said, but their luck was no better here.

``There wasn't any work," Cela said. ``They had to do this."

Brian Ballou of the Globe staff contributed to this story.



© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

``There wasn't any work," Cela said. ``They had to do this."

What? According to the government we are OVERFLOWING with jobs! Now we have to worry about Illegals opening their own businesses with less knowledge and concern that the big business rip-offs.

The three formed their tiny, unauthorized company just three days earlier after failing to find jobs, relatives said.

Three months after entering the U.S. illegally, these three start an unlicensed business sidestepping all requirments and fees to do so, yet the article presents them as victims. Lovely.

``It appears that they took no precautions for the safety of their workers," Souza said. ``

They worked for themselves you nitwit!

The real victims are the American workers who should have been doing the job. Not the unskilled,uninsured,unlicenced,illegal invaders who steal our jobs.

They should fine the guy who hired them. He wanted cheap, look what happened.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/09 ... 6local.htm


SouthCoastToday.com > News > Local
Dead worker's employer didn't seek permits
By BRIAN BOYD , Standard-Times staff writers

FAIRHAVEN — The employer of the construction worker who was killed Wednesday while siding a Benoit Square building never obtained permits for the work, a town official said yesterday.
Meanwhile, police identified the two victims of the incident, which involved a piece of siding striking a power line.
The Bristol County District Attorney's Office said it is considering criminal charges against their employer, MT Construction of Brockton.
MT was finishing siding work at 3441/2 Main St. that was started by a previous contractor, Fairhaven Building Commissioner Wayne Fostin said.
Mr. Fostin said there is no record of MT working in the town.
The company "never came to see me to pull proper permits," Mr. Fostin said.
Efforts to find telephone numbers for MT or the man identified by officials as the owner, Manuel Tenezaca, were unsuccessful.
The owner of the building is listed as St. Gelais Fairhaven Family Limited Partnership. Konrad St. Gelais, described by a town official as a partnership member, would not comment yesterday.
On the day of the incident, the state medical examiner investigated the scene, as did officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The DA's Office is awaiting OSHA's findings before deciding on possible charges.
"We'll wait and see what OSHA finds before we make any determination," spokesman Ryan Phelan said.
Angel Caguana, 42, died in the accident.
His cousin, Luis Antonio Caguana, 37, was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The hospital had no information about him last night.
Both victims had the same listed address, 21 Cross St. in Brockton. MT also is listed at the address, as is its owner, Mr. Tenezaca, Fairhaven Police Chief Gary F. Souza said.
"We believe all of these males were living in the same apartment building," he said.
At the time of the incident, the victims were three stories up, walking on scaffolding made of metal ladders.
At about 11:30 a.m., when the siding struck the wire, Angel Caguana was shocked and fell to the sidewalk below.
Luis Antonio Caguana fell to a first-floor overhang where he lay, burning and injured, until firefighters arrived and rescued him.
Meanwhile, electricity from the line traveled to the street below, igniting subterranean gas lines, which shot 6- to 8-foot jets of flame in the air until emergency workers had the fuel shut off.
The storefronts at the building ignited, forcing those inside to evacuate out the back doors.
Firefighters also brought down two other MT Construction workers who were unharmed when the power line was hit but remained trapped on the roof.
Chief Souza said investigators are still piecing together details, but they believe that Luis Caguana was holding the piece of siding when it made contact with the power line.
The electricity traveled through the siding and Mr. Caguana's body to the metal ladder the workers were using as scaffolding.
Angel Caguana, who also was standing on the ladder, was shocked and fell, the chief said.
Luis Caguana dropped from the scaffolding to the first-floor overhang.
Flames from the blazing storefronts licked up at him, witnesses said.
"When we arrived, he was on fire and he was moving his arm," Chief Souza said.
"We were able to get him down as soon as possible, but he had significant burn injuries."
Firefighters had the electricity and gas lines turned off, doused Luis Caguana and carried him down a ladder.
Contact Brian Boyd at
bboyd@s-t.com

Date of Publication: September

I can't say that I am surprised this that something like this happened.

My brother in law, who is an electrician, says when he is on job sites he and his co workers often have to work with other other workers, such as the painters, dry wallers and such. These people often hire illegals, who can not speak English.

And when the electricians turn off the power, they will put up a sign by the main power source saying "do not turn the power" .

The illegals who can not read English will often turn the power right back on in order to plug in their nail guns, power washers, paint sprayers and the like.

When the Americans try to explain to them the power must stay off,, the illegals just stand their looking dumb founded, because they don't understand.

Lucky for all involved, there's never been disaster thus far. But having non English speaking illegals working on job sites, is an accident waiting to happen.

The most familiar scenario involves unscrupulous employers hiring cheap labor without having proper safety measures in place.

They should go to jail for a long time.

They should not be allowed to sue anybody over this as they set up business illegally were in the country illegally and did not get the permits to do the work. It was a disaster in the making.