For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 17, 2004
AFSCME Conducts Excavation Training as Workers Prepare to Replace Lead Service Lines
FORESTVILLE, MD —To prepare for a construction project prompted by community concerns over the Washington area’s lead problem, dozens of regional workers from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, participated in an OSHA trenching and excavation course on June 15-18.
The program included a hands-on training exercise which was held today at the Prince George’s County Dept. of Public Works Bus Garage. Members from AFSCME Locals 44, 2091, 2462, 2735, 2898 and 3085 put on hard hats and other protective gear as they constructed a trench and demonstrated how to improve worker safety on the excavation site.
"We are gearing up for a project that involves removal and replacement of about 1,500 lead service lines affecting 28,000 homes in the Washington area," said James Ivey, president of Local 2091 (AFSCME Council 20). "But as we undertake the hazardous job of protecting area residents from lead contamination in their drinking water, we also want to ensure the safety of our workers who are expected to complete this task as soon as possible." The service line is the pipe that connects the water main in the street to houses.
"We care about potential risks to the general public when any digging occurs," added Tisha Hayes, a member of Local 2462 and a utility technician with the PG County Dept. of Public Works. "Release of toxic chemicals and contact with electric, water, sewer, natural gas or other types of utility lines can cause serious injuries or death."
AFSCME President Gerald McEntee notes that as many as 400 workers are killed and another 4,000 are injured nationwide every year while building roads, repairing water, sewer and other utility lines, or performing digging tasks like trenching.
"Public service workers go to great lengths to make sure area residents are safe," McEntee said. "It is equally important that workers who dig trenches and repair utility lines are not only properly trained, but are also protected from serious hazards."
In January 2003, two construction workers in South Carolina died when the trench in which they were working caved in. An investigation, conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicated an absence of protective equipment or precautions that could have prevented the collapse of the trench.
Despite standards established by OSHA, however, occupational fatalities from trench collapses continue to occur. A "cave-in" is the most common serious hazard during trenching operations. The four-day program was offered in conjunction with the OSHA Institute.
AFSCME is the nation’s fastest growing public service employees union with 1.4 million members. We organize for social and economic justice in the workplace and through legislative and political action. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care workers, custodians and librarians.
