Chemical burns and close-call accidents at Las Vegas tunnel system

• Workers at the Boring Company have dealt with chemical burns and close-call accidents during the construction of the Las Vegas tunnel system, according to a report by Bloomberg.
• They also experienced 12-hour shifts, including lunch, in the tunnels, which could reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the report said.
• The tunnels in Las Vegas, a 1.7-mile loop that connects the Las Vegas Conventions Center, were first opened to the public in 2021, but Elon Musk’s tunneling company has been working to expand it to connect to Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip.
• Some workers said they had to wade through about two feet of mud that included chemicals that can cause burns. Some staff were left scarred as a result, according to an investigation by OSHA.
  Read more

Connecticut criminally negligent after worker’s death

• Lecher Development LLC, a Connecticut-based contractor, was charged with criminally negligent homicide in the 2021 death of a worker at a Mamaroneck construction site.
• Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said Michael Conway, 59, of Bethel, Conn., was indicted by a grand jury and charged with criminally negligent homicide and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.
• The indictment comes after a nine-foot-deep trench collapsed on top of 46-year-old laborer Jose Vega of Stamford, Conn., killing him on May 4, 2021, at a site run by Conway.
• An investigation between Rocah’s office and OSHA found that Conway was the director of project development and site manager for Lecher Development LLC, the company responsible for the Shore Acres Drive construction site in Mamaroneck where Vega died.
  Read more

New York town reaches historic agreement with construction projects

• The legislation was adopted at the Town of Brookhaven’ New York’s recent Town Board meeting, requires all workers to have an OSHA 30 certification at job sites over 35,000 sq/ft., and also that there be a Site Safety Supervisor at job sites over 75,000 sq/ft., to further ensure accountability and increased safety standards on complex construction projects.
• The law will require permit holders for large construction sites to ensure that their General Contractors and Subcontractors have a trained workforce, and that proof of each worker’s OSHA 30 certification will be documented and available upon the Town’s request.
• Failure to comply with the law can result in fines of $1,000 and up to $10,000 for each day violations are found.
• Qualified third-party safety persons or entities that can provide certifications are permitted to be used to confirm compliance with the requirements.
  Read more

NY roofing contractor faces heavy penalties

• A roofing contractor with an extensive record of violating safety regulations faces prison time and a fine for the 2022 death of an employee at a New York construction site.
• Jose Lema, the founder and principal of the New York-based roofing company ALJ Home Improvement Inc., pled guilty to one count of willfully violating the safety regulations of OSHA.
• Lema faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
• Lema, also known as Jose Lema Mizhirumbay, has a long history of safety violations and two employee deaths on his record, according to OSHA.
  Read more