CWA Leads Safety Push in Wake of Electrocutions

With four electrocution deaths among Verizon technicians since last May and a growing list of CWA telecom members nationwide badly injured by power lines, union leaders say electrical hazards are at a critical point and are demanding action from employers.

CWA, along with the IBEW, met with Verizon last month to talk about changes in education, training, tools and equipment to try to ensure that no one else is killed or disabled by telecom workers' proximity to power lines.

"They seem receptive to our concerns," said Ron Collins, assistant to District 2 Vice President Pete Catucci. "But it's going to be up to the union leaders and union members at Verizon to hold management accountable, to follow through."

More injuries and near-misses also have been reported by CWA members at AT&T, particularly in California. Leaders there have met with the company and have seen some improvements in its published safety policies and practices. National and local leaders hope to hold future meetings with the company.

The most recent electrical injury among CWA technicians occurred in December in northern California. In that case, a member of Local 9431 suffered severe burns and nerve damage in his hands when he came in contact with a power line while working to install telephone wire for AT&T.

Dave LeGrande, CWA safety and health director, said CWA fears the risk is growing in part because employers are cutting costs by hiring fewer workers and pushing existing technicians to work faster. "We are concerned that management's productivity demands are causing some workers to cut corners and not adhere to safety procedures," he said.

Collins said he raised that issue with Verizon executives. "My question to them was, 'Do you tell your field managers to encourage your workers, our members, to perform all of their safety checks every day?' They said that they do. We said that's not happening, that there's a push to 'hurry hurry, hurry, let's get one more job done.'"

Collins said future meetings are expected between the unions and Verizon and that CWA wants to provide the company with concrete examples of supervisors failing to encourage safety checks and workers feeling forced to rush. He asked that members with such experiences tell their local leaders, and that those leaders contact CWA staff.

CWA's Safety and Health Department has listed various near-misses, injuries and fatalities in a new seven-page safety fact sheet that is posted online at ga.cwa-union.org/issues/osh.

The paper discusses the need for various types of training, safety equipment and regular "tailgate" meetings as work is assigned to focus on health and safety issues specific to a job and worksite.

All locals whose members work near power lines are urged to post and distribute the fact sheet. LeGrande, who also attended the Verizon meeting, is continuing to ask locals to report all electrical accidents or near misses to him at legrande@cwa-union.org.

Near misses may cause injuries, or simply alert officials to potential dangers. In Redding, Calif., for instance, a Local 9419 member working on an aerial platform recently noticed an arcing bridle wire. He further inspected the area and discovered that one leg of the power line had broken away from its electrical insulator. He called the power company and notified AT&T.

Union leaders say the four Verizon deaths over the past eight months — two CWA members and two IBEW — are the most they've ever heard of in so short a time. LeGrande said four other members have died of electrocution over the past eight years.

The most recent death occurred last October when a Local 2100 technician installing fiber optic cable near Baltimore-Washington International Airport was electrocuted while working in an aerial bucket. Mark Balsamo, vice president of the local and its safety and health chair, also attended the Verizon meeting.