OSH Bulletin - August 2007 IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORIAM

CWA Member Workplace Fatalities 2002-2007

CWA is devoted to improving the safety, health and well-being of our members. Along with the Occupational Safety and Health Department, CWA's national, district, local leaders, and occupational safety and health activists work to ensure that represented employers provide our members with safe and healthful working conditions. Unfortunately, even with these collective efforts, some employers fall short, placing our members in harm's way, leading to work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. We now recognize the following CWA members who lost their lives on the job during the past five years.  

2002

Jarrad Lyon, CWA Local 1126. In March, Jarrad, 29, employed as a lineman by Verizon, was electrocuted when the telecommunications line he was raising/tensioning came into contact with a sagging electrical power line. The accident occurred in Rome, New York.

Gary Lindell, NCPSO-CWA Local 7877. In March, Gary, a member of the Seattle Washington Police Officers Guild, died of work-related causes while on duty with the Seattle Police Department. No further details were provided.

Earl Hall, NCPSO-CWA Local 6915. In March, Earl, a member of the Austin, Texas Police Association, suffered a fatal a heart attack after responding to a burglary alarm in Austin.

2003

Betty Slayton, NCPSO-CWA Local 2055. In October, Betty, 49, an employee of the West Virginia Division of Corrections, was killed in a single vehicle accident after completing corrections training for instructors at the West Virginia Corrections Academy.

James Grahame, CWA Local 9410. In November, James, 52, chair of the local's occupational safety and health committee, died from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs. Employed by SBC (now AT&T) as a testing technician and communications technician, Grahame contracted mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos while performing his telecommunications work.

Richard Umansky, NABET-CWA Local 51016. In November, Richard, 48, was killed while preparing for TV coverage of an Iowa-Wisconsin football game in Madison, Wisconsin. While working on a stadium TV platform, Umansky, an employee of ABC Sports based in New York, slipped and fell to his death upon the stadium ramp. Had the appropriate guard rail and fall protection equipment been provided, Umansky would not have sustained a fatal injury.

2004

Scott Hamilton, CWA Local 9511. In July, Scott, 38, a splicing technician for SBC
(now AT&T), died from heat stroke while replacing aerial telecommunications cable in hot, arid working conditions. Having known medical issues, Scott's fatality might have been prevented if he had been provided CPR at the work site.  

Angel Andrew Barcena, NCPSO-CWA Local 6912. In September, Angel, 38, an officer with the El Paso Police Department, was killed while responding to a domestic violence call. After arriving at the residence, he was shot by the intoxicated homeowner.

Amy Donovan, NCPSO-CWA Local 6915. In October, Amy, a member of the Austin, Texas Police Association, was killed when accidentally struck by a police cruiser during a foot chase.

William McFadden, CWA Local 9410. In December, William, 32, was electrocuted while working to repair a telecommunications line in Redding, California. The service technician with SBC, was working in inclement weather conditions (snow and ice) while performing a thorough investigation. While performing his work, a 12 Kilovolt electric power line came loose from the pole and fell on McFadden, electrocuting him. Before the accident, he had correctly positioned and reinforced his ladder prior to climbing the joint telecommunications/electric utility pole.

Robert Hedman, NCPSO-CWA Local 7911. In December, Robert, 49, a deputy employed  by the Otero County (New Mexico) Sheriff's Department, was killed after responding to a domestic dispute. Upon arriving at the residence, Hedman and a fellow deputy noticed blood at the entryway. He was shot and killed when he went to the back of the residence to investigate.  

2005

Jackson Lone, NCPSO-CWA Local 7877. In March, Jackson, 40, an employee of the Seattle Police Department, was killed when attempting to secure a boat, falling into the water and striking his head.

Paul Hurt, CWA Local 9423. In August, Paul, 28, was electrocuted while repairing a telecommunications line on a joint use utility pole near Arroyo Grande, California. Hurt, an outside plant technician for AT&T, was attempting to remove the cover sheath to expose the cable strand. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR was attempted but it was unsuccessful. Telecommunications crews at the company had not been provided adequate CPR training.

Alejandro Gonzales, IUE-CWA 86780. In October, Alejandro, 39, was killed while conducting normal maintenance on a forklift. Gonzales, an employee of Newell Recycling in San Antonio, Texas, was attempting to remove scrap wire caught in the axle of the forklift. To accomplish this task, he had placed wooden supports under the forklift. While attempting to remove the wire, the forklift crashed through the wooden supports and fell on Gonzales.

John Wheeler, NCPSO-CWA Local 6913. In October, John, 41, an officer with the San Antonio Police Department, was killed while patrolling traffic. An intoxicated driver ran into the rear of his vehicle while Wheeler was parked on the highway shoulder. 

2006

Brent Cheney, CWA Local 4377. In June, Brent, 35, a central office technician at Verizon, was electrocuted while performing service work in a central office in Elkhart, Indiana. While working on a frame ladder, Cheney grasped and pulled the wire rope to release the ladder. Unfortunately, the plastic covering on the rope had become damaged with several cracks, and both the frame and the rope had become electrically energized.

Valentine Lopez, NCPSO-CWA Local 6913. In June, Valentine, 54, an officer with the San Antonio Police Department, was shot in the line of duty. Medical complications led to Lopez's death after he underwent surgery.

Joselito Barber, NCPSO-CWA Local 7877. In August, Joselito, 26, an officer with the Seattle Police Department, was killed in an auto accident when an intoxicated driver ran a red light and hit his patrol car causing life-ending injuries.

Marvin Benson, CWA Local 2100. In October, Marvin, 36, was electrocuted while installing fiber optic cable in Elkridge, Maryland. Benson, a lineman with Verizon, was attempting to place the cable from a non-insulated aerial bucket and came into contact with an electrically-charged overhead power line operating at 7600 volts.

Gordon Davis, NABET-CWA Local 52031. In December, Gordon, 51, a videographer with ABC News, was struck by a motorist while he was hauling his camera equipment back to his truck. Davis had been working on the overnight "hot spot" beat when he was struck and had finished shooting a fire in a retail store in Washington, DC.

Jerry Ellison, CWA Local 6171. In December, Jerry, 58, was killed while investigating an oil leak on a company bucket truck. Ellison, a fleet technician for AT&T, was kneeling down in front of the vehicle and the truck was driven forward trapping him underneath.

2007

James de Cou, CWA Local 9586. In February, James, 55, died from a stress-related heart attack as he was performing residential service work in Long Beach, California. Prior to this incident, de Cou, a Technician II at Verizon, had reported to his supervisor that he was having stress-related problems related to increased production standards and quotas.

Phillip Hodges, CWA Local 4100. In May, Phillip, 31, was killed after falling from a ladder while performing repair work on an outdoor residential telecommunications cable.  Phillip, employed by AT&T as a Construction and Special Services Technician, was pronounced dead upon his arrival via emergency services at Detroit's Sinai Grace Hospital.

John Hetherington Jr., CWA Local 3411. In May, John, 55, a service technician at AT&T (formerly Bell South), was killed when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer truck ran into him as he was placing his work tools into the company van. The driver of the tractor-trailer lost control of his vehicle after his rig sped over nearby railroad tracks breaking the driver's seat and sending the driver backwards. 

Settlement in Death of CWA Local 9423 Member Paul Hurt

On August 24th, 2005, Paul Hurt, a member of CWA Local 9423, employed as an outside plant technician by AT&T, was electrocuted while installing a phone line on a joint use pole near Lake Lopez, CA.  As he was performing work, Paul came into contact with a 12 Kilovolt power line killing him instantly.

After learning of the fatality, Cal OSHA conducted an investigation.  The employer was cited for a serious violation of  section 8615 (a)(1) of the California labor code which mandates that the employer ensure that employees wear insulating gloves and do not come into contact with the energized strand.  Cal OSHA fined the employer $18,000.

Based upon the recommendation of California OSHA, criminal charges were filed against AT&T. California is one of the few states providing penalties and possible jail time for safety violations which cause the death or serious injury of a worker.  Other states are Arizona, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia. The charges brought against AT&T by the San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office maintained that AT&T did not provide Paul Hurt with properly insulated gloves while working on the joint-use pole.  However, in subsequent negotiations with the Company, the San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office dropped these allegations in favor of a settlement agreement stipulating that AT&T must spend $100,000 for worker safety training programs. Of this, $90,000 will be used by San Luis Obispo County for the development of Worker Safety Training specific to the county's employees.  The additional $10,000 will be placed into funds for the California District Attorney's Association.  This project provides instruction to county district attorneys regarding the handling of worker safety and health cases. The company could have been fined up to $1.5 million and placed on probation.

Pandemic Flu (Influenza)

A pandemic flu outbreak in the United States is a very real possibility.  According to public health experts, an influenza pandemic would occur when:

• There is a new influenza virus (for example, an avian, bird flu virus, that "mutates"  so that it can easily be transmitted from human to human) that causes serious illness and death,
• People have little natural immunity to it, and
• The virus is capable of spreading easily from person to person.

CWA represents many workers that will be on the front line if an outbreak occurs in the United States.  Following is a list of affected occupations represented by the union who will be at risk if a pandemic flu outbreak occurs: nurses and other health care personnel employed in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and home healthcare workplaces;  emergency medical technicians (EMT's); telecommunications workers; police; and social workers.

In 2006, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a "voluntary" guidance policy (Guidance for Protecting Employees Against Avian Flu )for protecting workers in the advent of a flu pandemic. Unfortunately, the main protections recommended by OSHA in its guidance are proper hand hygiene and the use of at least N-95 respirators.  CWA and the AFL-CIO are recommending that an effective "written" Infection Control Plan with the following elements be put into effect:

• Exposure Control Plan:  An exposure control plan would identify the activities, operations and locations within a workplace where the risk of exposure is most likely to occur.
• Methods of Exposure Control:  Employers (private and public) must develop methods of controlling exposure to the influenza virus by using the "hierarchy of controls" which establishes the following prioritization of controls i.e. most effective to least effective:
  
  
  
  1. Engineering controls such as portable ventilation and negative pressure ventilation systems in infection isolation rooms, and the use/placement of physical barriers,
  2. Work practices such as frequent hand washing, routine cleaning of potentially hazardous surfaces and the covering of nose and mouth (reverse isolation) to avoid the spread of influenza viruses,
  3. Administrative controls such as reducing contact between and among workers by using email, phone calls , teleconferencing and telecommuting (when they or a member of their family is sick) and establishing "flexible working hours" to reduce the number of workers at the workplace, and
  4. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves, disposable clothing, eyewear and face shields, and respirators.  Note: the OSHA Guidance recommends the use of at least an N 95 (95% effective) respirator; CWA and the AFL-CIO are recommending that the respirator be at least a P 100 respirator (99.97 % effective). The P disignates that the respirator is oil proof; N designates that the respirator is non oil proof.

• Medical Surveillance:  Exposed workers must receive medical monitoring.  Employers must establish procedures in which to identify workers who are suspected of being exposed to the influenza virus and provide them with Medical Removal Protection (MRP).  If a pandemic flu vaccine or antiviral medications are available, employers must be able to determine priorities to determine which workers are to receive them based on the level of risk to the worker being exposed to the virus.
• Worker Training:  An effective training program must be set up to train workers about the nature and risks of pandemic flu in the workplace, how workers may be exposed, the symptoms of pandemic flu, and the uses and limitations of control measures.
• Communication of Hazards: Employers need to post warning signs and labels in the workplace about where potential exposure exists.  These signs and labels should also indicate the control methods to be used to protect workers.
• Housekeeping:  Employers need to develop a program to clean and disinfect contaminated equipment and surfaces and dispose of contaminated waste materials.
• Recordkeeping: Employers need to implement a recordkeeping program in accordance with OSHA's recordkeeping standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). 

CWA and the AFL-CIO are also opposed to the OSHA guidance not being an enforceable regulation.  CWA, the AFL-CIO and several other unions have filed a petition for a "emergency temporary standard" (ETS) to protect workers in case of a pandemic flu outbreak.  Unfortunately (but not unexpectedly) OSHA has denied labor's petition to mandate safe workplace practices and policies during a pandemic.

Go to the following links for more information:

• AFL-CIO Safety & Health Department Website.  The AFL-CIO Safety & Health Department has developed 5 fact sheets on pandemic flu.  These fact sheets can be accessed by going to http://www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/pandemic_influenza.cfm
  
• The AFA Air Safety, Health and Security Department Website.  The AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Department website describes the safety & health situation faced by its members and the flying public and gives recommendations for action. Go to the following link for more information: http://ashsd.afacwa.org/?zone=/unionactive/view_article.cfm&HomeID=30971
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Website.  The CDC website provides updates on the avian flu issue. Although the CDC's main emphasis is on the public health consequences of a possible pandemic, go to the following link for more information on workplace issues: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/index.html

CWA Emergency Response/Hazardous Materials/Safety & Health Committee Training

The CWA Safety & Health Department and the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR), University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted three awareness level training programs on "Emergency Response/Hazardous Materials/Safety & Health Committees" In June of 2007.  The training sessions were held in Reno, Nevada on June 7th-9th, Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 14th-16th and St. Pete Beach, Florida on June 24th-26th.   Fifty-five occupational safety and health activists (34 from the Telecommunications sector, 12 from the Manufacturing Sector, one Printing Sector and eight Public Education, and Health Sector) representing 35 local unions.  Of these, 26 local unions were represented from the Telecommunications Sector, four from the Manufacturing Sector, one from the Printing, Publishing and Media Workers Sector and four from Public, Education, and Health Care Sector.  Tony Bixler, Vice President of CWA District 9 and six CWA Staff representing CWA Districts 3, 4 and 9 participated in the training sessions.  Kenneth Oldfield and Roy Stover, from the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) at the University of Alabama/Birmingham were the instructors.

Training topics included:

• The role and actions of "Awareness Level Responders,"
• Recognizing hazardous materials and emergency situations,
• Federal OSHA, EPA, and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations,
• Establishing effective local union and joint labor/management  safety and health committees,
• Documenting, collecting, and analyzing workplace safety and health information/records, and
• Taking action to resolve identified safety and health hazards and worker health problems.

There was a very high level of participation in all of the classes. For example, at the District 3 training session held in St. Pete, Beach, Florida the issue of isocyanate exposure was identified. At the District 4 training session in Fort Wayne, IN there was discussion of effective union safety and health committees with two participants giving examples of the safety and health committee structure in their local unions (one being a state wide committee the other being a one plant committee).  At the District 9 training session in Reno, NV, there was a presentation on the California State Injury and Illness Prevention Program.  

In addition, during the training in Reno, NV, District 9 Vice President Tony Bixler welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of occupational safety and health (OSH) training for the training participants and for CWA members.  Related to Vice President Bixler's message, the CWA-CLEAR training program has involved more than 650 CWA local union OSH activists in these training sessions.  These training sessions are funded through a grant awarded to CWA and CLEAR by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.  In the near future, additional classes scheduled for 2007-2008 will be announced.