Calls for investigation over measly demolition death fines.
The Hawaii Laborers’ Union has asked for a state legislative investigation into the death of a worker in the collapse of a Hawaiian Cement tower at Campbell Industrial Park.
Al Lardizabal, government relations director for AFL-CIO Local 368, said yesterday that the “measly” fines imposed on each of two contractors for separate violations are “utterly laughable.”
State Department of Labor Director Darwin Ching imposed a fine of $750 on Nov. 13 on co-contractor AG Transport for failing to have a written engineering survey. General contractor San Construction LLC of Hawaii, which also received a $750 fine, was cited as the co-contractor for failing to do its prime contractor responsibility in ensuring compliance with Hawaii industrial safety standards.
On the morning of May 16, AG Transport employee Juan Navarro, 54, of South El Monte, California died after the (51 metre) 168-foot tower collapsed on him during preparation for the tower’s demolition.
A supervisor told labor investigators he and Navarro were making cuts in the legs of the pre-heater tower when they heard a pop and ran out. The supervisor said Navarro re-entered the tower base area, and it collapsed.
Read more here.
