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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