I read this article this morning and was disguisted that they failed to mention that many illegals are working construction jobs and they are the ones most often seriously injured or killed on the job. The top 3 states with construction accidents are Florida, Texas and California (not in that order) which also happen to be states with the most illegal immigrants. They also mentioned having weekly safety meetings and training in their language for accident prevention. I will notify the writer of this article and ask why the fact most construction jobs hire illegals was not mentioned in the article. Also illegals aren't the most qualified to do construction work as they tried to claim to hire the most competent people.

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/203504.html
Construction stands out in worker casualty data
A landscaper's death brought worker fatalities in South Florida to 51 this year. Safety officials hope increased inspections and industry partnerships, especially in construction, can bring down the number.
Posted on Wed, Aug. 15, 2007l
BY NIALA BOODHOO
nboodhoo@MiamiHerald.com
Domingo Andres Francisco's tragic death on the job brings the toll to 51 so far this year.

With two months left to go before local safety officials close their books for the year, the 24-year-old landscaper's death by lightning strike boosts grim predictions that this year may be deadlier than last year for workers in South Florida.

In the last fiscal year that ended Oct. 1, 56 people died in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Fort Lauderdale region, an area that encompasses 10 counties in the southern part of the state. But the majority of deaths happen in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

New OSHA area director Darlene Fossum said Tuesday that South Florida's explosive growth in building and public works projects can be deadly for workers.

''The demand is there, but it's fast-paced, and it exposes employees to a lot of hazards,'' said Fossum, who hopes a combination of stepped-up enforcement and more cooperative agreements with industry groups can help bring down the numbers. ``When you have a construction worker out there trying to pave a road and trying to deal with people driving 70 miles per hour, that's a very dangerous situation to try to put people in.''

Last year, 355 people died on the job in all of Florida, making the state again the third deadliest in the country for workers, behind Texas and California, according to government data released Friday.

About a quarter of the deaths in Florida, or 96 people, were in the construction industry. Another 88 died working in trade, transportation or utilities jobs, including work as varied as retail sales and warehousing.

In South Florida, construction deaths make up a far bigger percentage of total deaths. Last year, half the deaths in the Fort Lauderdale OSHA region were in construction. So far this year, 25 construction workers have died.

Still, worker casualty data over the past year reveal one encouraging note: Safety officials believe the slowdown in the housing market is leading to slightly fewer deaths in the construction industry, which in 2005 accounted for more than half of all worker fatalities.

''Let's face it, with work on the decline, the general contractors can pick and choose who they want,'' Fossum said. ``They're picking higher and better trained employees, which is an absolutely wonderful thing.''

Residential construction work also typically has a higher number of worker deaths, Fossum said, so as more industry work shifts to commercial projects, that may also lead to fewer deaths.

Still, ''we have a long way to go,'' Fossum told members of the industry Tuesday morning at an Associated General Contractors meeting about worker safety.

OSHA conducts inspection sweeps during random weeks throughout the year, when compliance officers visit all sorts of job sites. Those inspections focus on all areas, including landscaping and the warehouse industry, Fossum said.

But working closely with industries is the best way to create a culture of workplace safety, she said, touting programs such as an OSHA program called CHASE.

The program, a result of a partnership agreement between the local chapter of the Associated General Contractors, so far has linked 16 companies in individual partnerships with OSHA.

In order to qualify for the program, which consists of three levels, companies must meet a set of criteria that includes developing rigorous safety and substance abuse programs. Partner companies cannot qualify if they have had any serious OSHA violations over the past three years, or if they have had repeated violations.

In return, OSHA agrees not to cite the partner businesses for minor violations as long as they are immediately addressed.

Fossum recognized Beauchamp Construction Co. as the newest partner in the program Tuesday morning.

Scott Crissey, the company's safety director, said that -- although Beauchamp's involvement required revamping the company's entire safety program, an extensive effort that involved time and money -- participation made good business sense.

To achieve the ''white'' or second-tier level of partnership, Beauchamp must conduct weekly employee safety meetings, provide training for workers in their native languages and maintain an injury/illness incidence rate that is 10 percent less than the most current national rate for the construction industry.

''There is no greater catastrophe for a company than to have an employee die or be critically injured,'' said Crissey, who is also an assistant project manager for the Coral Gables-based commercial builder.