Courtesy of http://craunf.org/ The refinery where DeBaldo worked as it appears on a website for retirees from Chevron, which once operated it. How long does a worker have to file a lawsuit after symptoms of asbestos-related disease appear?Despite 40 years of litigation and the existence of “discovery rules” that determine how statutes of limitation apply to asbestos-related illness, the issue remains controversial.Case in point: A state appeals court in Delaware’s New Castle County last month made a ruling involving an employee of a company that was acquired by URS Corp. The ruling involves the worker’s contention that he didn’t receive
Photo By AP Wideworld Related Links: Caution Ahead: Overdue Investments for New York's Aging Infrastructure National Transportation Safety Board investigators confirmed March 18 that a natural-gas pipeline leak triggered a deadly explosion that leveled two five-story buildings in East Harlem March 12. The agency, which is heading up the probe, also said it detected unusual concentrations of gas in the soil around the site, according to media reports.NTSB has named New York City utility Con Edison as a party to the investigation. The utility, which referred calls on the matter to NTSB, says on its website that it last surveyed
photo courtesy of Timothy Hursley Crews logged 291,000 man-hours without an accident while renovating the 200,000-sq-ft St. Louis Central Library. Related Links: 2013 Best of the Best Projects Winners Best of Midwest: St. Louis Central Library Despite difficult working conditions, including an extremely cramped area when converting a sub-basement coal bin into an auditorium, crews logged 291,000 man-hours without an accident while renovating the 200,000-sq-ft St. Louis Central Library. The sub- basement was one of several outmoded spaces that workers adapted to new uses in the 100-year-old landmark structure, originally designed by Cass Gilbert.General contractor BSI Constructors Inc. executed a
Only days before the U.S. State Dept. released its long-awaited environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the company applying to build it, TransCanada Corp., experienced its third major pipeline rupture since October.
Related Links: Witness Notes Communication Lapse in Ontario Mall Collapse Testimony After Mall Roof Collapse, Ontario Engineers Propose Inspection Standards Testimony Shows Complex Roots of Deadly Mall Collapse Engineer Cited in Fatal Ontario Mall Rooftop-Garage Collapse Has May 15 Court Date Provincial police in Ontario, Canada, said on Jan. 31 that they have charged former engineer Robert Wood, 64, with three counts of criminal negligence related to his role as inspector of an Elliot Lake mall roof that collapsed on June 23, 2012, killing two store employees.Wood, former president of M.R. Wright & Associates Inc., Sault Sainte Marie, faces two
AP photo Slab collapse last November at a building site near Durban killed two workers and injured 29. Related Links: Rescue mission continues at Tongaat Mall A South African government probe set to begin in February into the deaths of two construction workers at a mall building site near Durban is expected to wrap up within six months.The national labor department launched the investigation into the collapse, last November, of a concrete slab at the site of the 15,000-sq-meter, three-story Tongaat Mall, which is about 30 kilometers north of Durban.The accident also injured 29 workers.In addition, the Engineering Council of
Related Links: Meet Freedom Industries, the Company Behind the West Virginia Chemical Spill Critics Say Spill Highlights Lax West Virginia Regulations State and federal teams continue to investigate the chemical spill that shut down the drinking-water supply for 300,000 people in the Charleston, W.Va., area for five days in January.Starting on Jan. 13, customers of the West Virginia American Water Co. treatment plant, which serves nine counties in and around the capital city, were cleared to use water in certain zones."The ban is being lifted in a strict, methodical manner to help ensure the water system is not overwhelmed" by
Photo courtesy OccuNomix International LLC During cold-weather projects, it is critical to keep extremities warm by wearing warm hats, masks, socks, boots and gloves. Related Links: Fall Fashion Is Highly Visible Under New Work-Zone Rule Extreme Weather Gear What most people consider inclement weather is not always what builders, laborers and project managers consider inclement weather.The recent polar vortex that hit much of the Midwest at the start of this year brings home just how important it is to be prepared for extreme weather conditions. While even the toughest of project managers might have ceased work during the negative temperatures,
Related Links: Worker Dies at Texas A&M Kyle Field Redevelopment Project Texas A&M University Envisions 25,000 Engineering Students by 2025 The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration on Dec. 19 cited two Texas contractors with eight serious violations and proposed $46,800 in fines, following the June collapse of a structure in an $80-million equestrian center under construction at Texas A&M University that injured four workers. The penalties come two weeks after a separate site accident on the College Station campus killed a 28-year-old worker employed by another contractor.OSHA cited project subcontractor Ramco Erectors Inc., Houston, with seven violations for flaws
Related Links: Kyle Field Redevelopment A 25-year-old construction worker died on Dec. 3 at Texas A&M's Kyle Field Redevelopment project. The $450-million renovation began last month and will run through 2015.Texas A&M officials identified the worker as Angel Garcia, who was working for Dallas-based Lindamood Demolition. Garcia fell from the fourth floor on the north end of Kyle Field around 11:25 a.m. He was immediately transported to St. Joseph's Regional Health Center in Bryan, Texas, where he died, the university reported in a statement released on the same day.Manhattan-Vaughn Construction is leading work on the Kyle Field Redevelopment. In a
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