This past month has been difficult for the people of Houston, the East Coast and the Caribbean islands, as they have suffered through a steady barrage of Hurricanes and intense storms. The storms have left many areas uninhabitable and others badly damaged.
Once the waters recede contractors and laborers move in quickly to help in the cleanup and recovery of these areas, but often times the conditions they work in are far more dangerous than we realize.
An article written earlier this month by Kathleen Rest brings up some very important points on worker safety in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the conditions they will endure as they help in the recovery effort. We all think of the basic demolition and rebuilding efforts that must be undertaken after a storm of this magnitude and the dangers that go along with those. However, we don’t always consider all of the other dangers laborers will face. Some of the things Rest mentions in her article include hazardous materials and chemicals, contaminated water and toxic gasses that might not be readily apparent.
On top of all of these risks many of the workers are Hispanic/Latino (some of them here illegally) and they have a whole slew of other issues to worry about such as unfair working conditions and deportation in severe cases. The point Rest makes is that we, as contractors and employers, have to ensure that worker safety is the number one priority. This is especially crucial as some of the workers might be unwilling or unable to stand up for themselves to make sure they receive the proper training and equipment to do their jobs.
Check out her very insightful article here.
Leave a Reply