Concern for worker safety voiced at meeting after scissor lift accident

After 30 minutes of outcry from attendees regarding the accident that sent two workers plummeting from the construction site on Dog Lane, managers of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership closed Thursday's meeting from the public.

Representatives from state labor groups came to the Mansfield Downtown Partnership monthly meeting at the Lodewick Visitors Center to voice concerns about the way the Storrs Center construction site is being managed.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is in the process of investigating the incident. Latest reports suggest a metal pin at the base of the scissor lift in question came loose, weakening support for the crane. While the base remained stable, the cherry picker tipped over, dumping two workers from the second story (initial estimates were closer to four stories).

The scissor lift had been certified "proper for use" by NES, a national equipment leasing company.

Charlie LeConche, business manager for the Connecticut Laborers' District Council, a division of the Laborers International Union of North America, had many issues with how the project has been managed.

Calling it a "cheap-suit operation," he said the town of Mansfield and UConn have spent "millions of dollars in taxpayer waste" on poorly managed projects. He cited undocumented workers, issues with social security numbers and workplace accidents among the many problems he has seen.

"There's no oversight, and no one's paying attention," he said.

President of the Partnership's Board of Directors Philip Lodewick cut LeConche off for making "editorial comments."

James Duffy, executive director of the Labor Management Foundation for Fair Contracting in Connecticut, criticized project managers for not being responsible to the community and suggested that Mansfield enact responsible contractor legislation.

He also asked why building supplies are coming from Massachusetts and not a local supplier like O.L. Willard.

"Even the realtor is a 901 number," he said. By not trying to hire locally, he said, "you're robbing people."

Duffy also commented on the quality of the buildings themselves, saying contractors weren't even taking care to use strong, lasting materials.

Terry Grabowski, a 20-year resident of Ashford who has served on the town's Board of Finance as well as the Planning and Zoning Commission, made the last public comments. He said the partnership has done a great job bringing money and jobs to Mansfield, but that they need to keep in mind their accountability to the surrounding community.

Members of the public were asked to leave the room at this point so that the board could enter executive session.

Storrs Center is being developed by the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Leyland Alliance LLC and Erland Construction. Also involved in the construction are many subcontractors, including Empire Construction Special Projects, which employed the injured workers.

Empire was served a stop-work order from the Connecticut Department of Labor this week over an issue relating to workers' compensation.

Senior Vice President of Erland Construction Chuck Vaciliou said their first concern was the safety of those injured. The company is awaiting an official report from their engineers and from OSHA.

The Frequently Asked Questions page of the Storrs Center webpage says that "Leyland Alliance and Education Realty Trust are committed to hiring local contractors whenever possible." It maintains a list of Connecticut companies contracted to work on the project.

Don Douville, a 10-year resident of Mansfield who has worked on construction in the area for over a decade, was not pleased with the hiring practices. He said it was a "major slap in the face" to Connecticut workers.

"Forty percent of construction workers in this state are unemployed," he said, adding that legislation should be passed requiring that some or most work go to Connecticut residents and businesses.

Source: Jimmy Onofrio, The Daily Campus