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Family photo
Carlos Centeno, a temporary worker who died after a workplace accident, and his partner, Velia Carbot.
CHICAGO — By the time Carlos Centeno arrived at the Loyola University Hospital Burn Center, more than 98 minutes had elapsed since his head, torso, arms and legs had been scalded by a 185-degree solution of water and citric acid inside a factory on this city’s southwestern edge.
The laborer, assigned to the plant that afternoon in November 2011 by a temporary staffing agency, was showered with the solution after it erupted from the open hatch of a 500-gallon chemical tank he was cleaning. Factory bosses, federal investigators would later contend, refused to call an ambulance as he awaited help, shirtless and screaming. He arrived at Loyola only after first being driven to a clinic by a co-worker.
At admission Centeno had burns over 80 percent of his body and suffered a pain level of 10 on a scale of 10, medical records show. Clad in a T-shirt, he wore no protective gear other than rubber boots and latex gloves in the factory, which makes household and personal-care products.
Centeno, 50, died three weeks later, on Dec. 8, 2011. The Cook County medical examiner's report attributed his death to “scald and chemical burns due to an industrial accident.”
A narrative account of the accident that killed him — and a description of conditions inside the Raani Corp. plant in Bedford Park, Ill. — are included in a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration memorandum obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. The 11-page OSHA memo, dated May 10, 2012, argues that safety breakdowns in the plant warrant criminal prosecution — a rarity in worker death cases.
The story behind Centeno’s death underscores the burden faced by some of America’s 2.5 million temporary, or contingent, workers — a growing but mostly invisible group of laborers who often toil in the least desirable, most dangerous jobs. Such workers are hurt more frequently than permanent employees and their injuries often go unrecorded, new research shows.
Raani’s “lack of concern for employee safety was tangible” and injuries in its factory were “abundant,” Thomas Galassi, head of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, wrote in the memo to David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.
Raani managers failed to put Centeno under a safety shower after he was burned and did not call 911 even though his skin was peeling and he was clearly in agony, Galassi wrote. “It took a minimum of 38 minutes before (Centeno) arrived at a local occupational health clinic … after having been transported by and in the vehicle of another employee while he shivered in shock and yelled, ‘hurry, hurry!’ ”
A clinic worker called an ambulance, which, according to Chicago Fire Department records, arrived at 2:26 p.m. Centeno was in “moderate to severe distress with 70-80% 1st and mostly 2nd degree burns to head, face, neck, chest, back, buttocks, arms and legs,” the records show. Paramedics administered morphine.
“The EMT’s were horrified and angered at the employer, for not calling 911 at the scene and further delaying his care by transferring him to a clinic instead of a hospital,” Galassi’s memo says.
John Newquist, who retired from OSHA in September after 30 years with the agency, said the case was among the most disturbing he encountered as an assistant regional administrator in Chicago.
“I cannot remember a case where somebody got severely burned and nobody called 911,” said Newquist, a former compliance officer who investigated more than 100 fatal accidents during his career. “It’s beyond me.”
On May 15, OSHA proposed a $473,000 fine against Raani for 14 alleged violations, six of which are classified as willful, indicating “plain indifference” toward employee safety and health. No decision has been made on whether the case will be referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution, agency spokesman Jesse Lawder said. OSHA hadn’t inspected the Raani factory for 18 years prior to the accident.
Centeno’s family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Raani and a workers’ compensation claim against the temp agency that employed him, Ron’s Staffing Services Inc.
“It’s just wrong, what happened,” Centeno’s 26-year-old son, Carlos Jr., said of Raani managers’ actions after his father’s accident. “They were not thinking of him as a human being.”
Raani is appealing the OSHA citations. H. Patrick Morris, a lawyer for the company, did not answer questions about the alleged violations. In a court filing, however, Raani denied allegations of negligence in the family’s lawsuit. Among its defenses: Centeno himself was responsible for the accident. “Plaintiff’s Decedent knew about the hazards of his conduct, but proceeded with his course of conduct, causing the claimed injuries,” the document says.
Jeffrey Kehl, a lawyer for Ron’s Staffing, declined to comment.
‘I wanted him to quit’
Carlos Centeno came to Chicago from Mexico City in 1994. He was joined six years later by his partner, Velia Carbot, and Carlos Jr. A daughter, Alma, stayed behind.
The family settled in Humboldt Park, a working-class neighborhood on the city’s northwest side. A second daughter, Melanie, was born in 2001.
Centeno held jobs as a bartender, newspaper deliveryman and forklift driver at a warehouse. In June 2010, after being laid off by the warehouse, he put in an application at the Ron’s Staffing office on West 63rd Street, not far from Midway International Airport. He was sent to the nearby Raani Corp. factory, which makes products ranging from shampoos, styling gels and deodorant sticks to dishwashing liquids and household cleaners. His starting pay was $8.25 an hour.
Raani, founded in 1983 by Rashid A. Chaudary, a chemist turned entrepreneur, has about 150 employees, roughly 40 percent of whom are contingent workers, according to the May 2012 OSHA memo. Centeno cleaned the tanks in which the factory’s products are mixed. His work clothes became so rank, he had his own laundry basket at the family’s apartment, partner Carbot said; about six months before the fatal accident, chemicals splashed in his right eye and he couldn’t see out of it for three days, she said.
“I wanted him to quit,” Carbot, speaking in Spanish, said. “But, at the same time, we knew he hadn’t found another job yet, and expenses continued, unfortunately, and he had to work.”
The OSHA memo describes a factory in which workers were often hurt and injuries were not properly recorded. An OSHA inspection on Dec. 9, 2011, the day after Centeno died, revealed, for example, that workers “were handling chemicals including, but not limited to, corrosives and acids while wearing only medical grade latex gloves,” the memo says.
Workers were seen putting their hands directly into streams of chemicals poured from drums, OSHA enforcement director Galassi wrote. “Another significant hazard (to) which employees are exposed, as evidenced by the fatality, was the high temperature (nearly boiling) water and cleaning solutions used for cleaning tanks, process lines and floors. Employees interacted with high temperature liquids wearing only latex gloves and tee-shirts.”
A manager explained that thick, black gloves were kept in the maintenance department “because they were expensive and the employees stole them,” Galassi wrote. The manager said, however, that “any employee could obtain the black gloves if so desired.”
A review of Raani’s medical files turned up five injuries, apart from Centeno’s, that had occurred since 2010 but had not been entered in OSHA logs, as required by federal law, Galassi wrote. Injuries “involving chemical exposure to eyes, high temperature liquid burns and cuts had been a common occurrence for years,” his memo says. One worker who had been burned and whose skin was peeling was told by a manager “to leave it alone, it wasn’t dangerous.”
Another was burned so badly he needed skin grafts, but the incident wasn’t recorded even though CEO Chaudary “stated he was aware of the injury,” Galassi wrote. On Jan. 27, 2012, more than two months after Centeno was scalded, a worker performing a similar tank-cleaning procedure received severe burns to his left leg. He was handed a written notice from management. “You are hereby warned to be careful in the future,” it said, in part, according to Galassi’s memo.
“Instead of issuing the appropriate (protective gear) to its workers and ensuring its usage, Raani Corporation has chosen to blame their employees outright for their injuries and non-compliance,” Galassi wrote.
Two managers “admitted to witnessing (Centeno) with his shirt off and speaking with him” shortly after he was burned, the memo says. “Both managers agreed the injured employee’s skin was burned, damaged, wrinkled and parts were ‘peeling.’ ”
The managers not only failed to call 911 — they made Centeno wait while one filled out paperwork before allowing him to be taken to a local clinic, Galassi wrote. The co-worker who drove Centeno about four miles to the MacNeal Clearing Clinic said “he was asked to lie on his written statement and write that Carlos Centeno was acting fine, conscious and talking on the drive to the clinic,” the memo says. “Even after the incident, company officials have not concluded that 911 should have been called immediately.”
Chaudary, who was not on the scene the day of the accident — Nov. 17, 2011 — told an OSHA inspector that the “wrong valve opened” on the tank Centeno was cleaning, according to the memo, but insisted that “if Carlos Centeno had lived, the decision to not call an ambulance would have been the right call.”
Centeno’s co-workers, however, “provided signed statements of the severity of the injury and the extreme delayed response in seeking medical care,” Galassi wrote.
Chaudary did not respond to requests for comment.
Not long after he was doused with the hot water-citric acid mixture, Centeno called Velia Carbot, asking for Carlos Jr. He sounded agitated and had trouble speaking, Carbot said, but would not explain what had happened.
Carbot went across the street and got Carlos Jr., who called his father’s cellphone. It was answered by a co-worker, Samuel Meza, who said Carlos Sr. had been burned at work. “He was like, ‘I’m taking him to the clinic,’ ” Carlos Jr. said.
Meza called Carlos Jr. after he arrived at the MacNeal Clearing Clinic. While they talked, Carlos Jr. said, “I could hear that the nurse in the clinic was telling him, ‘Why are you bringing him here? … He needs to go to the emergency room.’ ”
Carbot and Carlos Jr. said they began driving to the clinic, 13 miles south of Humboldt Park, but diverted west to Loyola Hospital when Meza told them that’s where Centeno would be heading.
Carlos Jr. and Carbot got there first, watching ambulance after ambulance pull up. “I remember just walking up to all the ambulances and it was someone else,” Carlos Jr. said. “It wasn’t my dad. It just makes you more anxious.”
At 3:08 p.m., more than 98 minutes after he had been burned, Carlos Sr. made it to Loyola. “When they finally opened the doors and I saw it was him, I could just see he was in pain,” Carlos Jr. said. “He was trying to hide it. He saw my mom and I could see his eyes started to tear.”
Carlos Centeno Sr. died three weeks later. OSHA, which learned of his death from the Cook County medical examiner, began its inspection of Raani the next day. Its last visit to the plant had been in 1993, when, responding to a worker complaint, it cited the company for six alleged violations — including failing to protect workers from unexpected energizing or startup of machines — and proposed a $9,500 fine. Raani settled the case for $6,500 in 1994.
In an emailed statement, OSHA said no follow-up inspection was conducted. This is “not unusual,” the agency said, “as long as we receive documentation from the employer that the violations were corrected.”
Dangers of temp work
The use of contingent workers by U.S. employers has soared over the past two decades. In 1990, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 1.1 million such workers; as of August 2012, the number was 2.54 million, down slightly from pre-recession levels but climbing.
The American Staffing Association, a trade group, says the hiring of contingent workers allows employers to staff up at their busiest times and downsize during lulls. Temporary work enables employees to have flexible hours and “provides a bridge to permanent employment,” the group says on its website.
Recent research, however, suggests a dark side to contingent work.
A study published this year of nearly 4,000 amputations among workers in Illinois found that five of the 10 employers with the highest number of incidents were temp agencies. Each of the 10 employers had between six and 12 amputations from 2000 through 2007. Most of the victims lost fingertips, but some lost legs, arms or hands.
The researchers, from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, called the glut of amputations a “public health emergency,” inflicting psychological and physical harm and costing billions.
Another study, published in 2010, found that temp workers in Washington State had higher injury rates than permanent workers, based on a review of workers’ compensation claims. In particular, temp workers were far more likely to be struck by or caught in machinery in the construction and manufacturing industries.
“Although there are no differences in the (OSHA) regulations between standard employment workers and temporary agency employed workers, those in temporary employment situations are for the most part a vulnerable population with few employment protections,” wrote the researchers, with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
In fact, experts say, there’s little incentive for host employers to rigorously train and supervise temp workers because staffing agencies carry their comp insurance. If an agency has a high number of injuries within its workforce, it — not the host employer — is penalized with higher premiums.
“This is really about an abdication of responsibility,” said Tom Juravich, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who has studied the temp worker phenomenon. “If some of the jobs in your facility are undesirable and dangerous, you outsource them to people who won’t complain. If you have a direct worker who’s injured, you have an obligation to him through workers’ comp. If he’s a contingent worker, you don’t have that obligation.”
As part of a three-year study, researchers in Canada interviewed temp workers and managers at temp agencies and client companies. “To be frank,” one agency manager confided, “clients hire us to have temps do the jobs they don’t want to do.” Co-author Ellen MacEachen, of the University of Toronto and the Institute for Work and Health, said, “Even if (temp workers) are not cheaper, they’re more disposable. … You can get rid of them when you want, and you don’t pay benefits.”
Stephen Dwyer, general counsel for the American Staffing Association, denied that the temp workers have less legal protection than permanent employees.
"I can say nationally, and on a state level, the legal framework is there to ensure the safety of the temporary employees,” he said. “And this framework imposes obligations on both the staffing firm and the client and so one could argue actually that temporary workers have greater workplace safety protections under the law than their counterparts with clients."
Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers say contingent workers’ injuries are declining. Yet, new evidence suggests these injuries are undercounted.
In a BLS-funded project completed last summer, officials with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries interviewed 53 employers who had used temp workers. Only one-third said they would enter a temp worker injury in their OSHA log, as the law requires. The others said they wouldn’t or claimed ignorance. “A lot of them just didn’t know” the rules, said Dr. David Bonauto, the department’s associate medical director.
Dwyer, of the staffing association, said the problem in Washington appears to be isolated.
"I'm not sure it's actually a widespread problem,” he said. “The laws are very clear about this -- that whoever controls the worksite is responsible for recording temporary workers' injuries on the (OSHA log) and typically that's the client."
The executive director of the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, which advocates for temp workers, says OSHA should target employers known to make heavy use of staffing agencies.
“The rise of the staffing industry is partially to give companies a greater distance from regulation,” said Leone José Bicchieri. “OSHA needs to come up with different approaches for this rapidly growing sector” — meeting with temp workers offsite, for example, so they’re not intimidated by supervisors.
Temp workers are often reluctant to report injuries because they are so easily replaced, Bicchieri said.
“They have no power to speak up,” he said. “The whole temp industry was created so the client company has less liability. We need to put workplace injuries back on the plate of the client company.”
But Dwyer, the American Staffing Association’s lawyer, denied that the temp workers have no recourse.
"Both the staffing firm and the client have joint obligations, as joint employers, to ensure the workplace safety of temporary employees, meaning that if something goes wrong, temporary employees have recourse, typically against the client and the staffing firm, if one or both fails to discharge their duty under the law," he said.
He also cautioned against an OSHA crackdown on temp agencies. “To the extent that efforts become heavy-handed, there can be a disincentive, then, to using temporary workers,” Dwyer said, to the detriment of the workers, client employers and “the overall economy.”
In a statement, OSHA said it “feels strongly that temporary or contingent workers must be protected. They often work in low wage jobs with many job hazards — and employers must provide these workers with a safe workplace.”
The agency said it has brought a number of recent enforcement actions against employers for accidents involving temp workers.
Weak law, few prosecutions
Although the Galassi memo recommends criminal action in the Centeno case, employers in America are rarely prosecuted for worker deaths.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is exceptionally weak when it comes to criminal penalties. An employer found to have committed flagrant violations that led to a worker’s death faces, at worst, a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail.
By comparison, a violation of the Endangered Species Act carries a maximum sentence of one year.
“It should not be the case that a facility that commits willful violations of the worker safety laws faces only misdemeanor charges when a worker dies because of those violations,” said David Uhlmann, a law professor at the University of Michigan and former chief of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section.
“The company involved as well as any responsible corporate officials should face felony charges that carry significant financial penalties for the company and the possibility of lengthy jail terms for the individuals,” Uhlmann said. “Anything less sends a terrible message about how we value the lives of American workers.”
Federal prosecutors are generally unenthusiastic about worker cases, said Jordan Barab, second-in-command at OSHA. The Justice Department “often says, ‘You know, we’re not going to spend all these resources just to prosecute a misdemeanor,’ ” Barab said.
At Justice, Uhlmann made creative use of environmental statutes to get around the OSH Act. In one case, a worker at an Idaho fertilizer plant named Scott Dominguez nearly died after being sent into a steel storage tank containing cyanide-rich sludge. Dominguez had been ordered into the 25,000-gallon tank without protective equipment by the plant’s owner, Allan Elias, who had refused to test the atmosphere inside the vessel.
Dominguez collapsed and sustained brain damage from the cyanide exposure. Prosecutors charged Elias with three felony counts under environmental laws, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the handling and disposal of hazardous waste.
Because Elias had fabricated a confined-space entry permit indicating it was safe for workers to enter the tank, he also was charged with one count under a section of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, for making a false statement to, or otherwise conspiring to defraud, government regulators.
After a jury trial in 1999, Elias was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Environmental statutes don’t always apply in worker death or injury cases. The accident that mortally wounded Carlos Centeno, for example, appears not to have involved hazardous waste, or air or water pollution.
Charges under Title 18 remain a possibility, Uhlmann said. Nonetheless, he said, the OSH Act needs revision. Congress came close to adding felony provisions to the law in 2010 but failed amid pushback from the business community.
“Accidents are not criminal,” Uhlmann said. “What are criminal are egregious violations of the worker safety laws that result in not just deaths but serious injuries.”
Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is a co-sponsor of the Protecting America’s Workers Act, which would enhance criminal and civil penalties for OSHA violations.
“In every other walk of life, if a person engages in willful conduct that results in someone else’s death, we throw the book at them,” Harkin said in a statement. “But if someone dies on the job, the rules are different. Even intentional lawbreaking that kills a worker brings no more than a slap on the wrist.”
Whether a bulked-up worker-protection law would have improved conditions at the Raani Corp. is a matter of speculation. According to Thomas Galassi’s memo, the accident that ultimately killed Carlos Centeno merited only a one-line entry in the company’s files, stating that an internal committee would investigate.
During the inspection after Centeno’s death, a newly hired Raani manager asked OSHA officials to help him convince his superiors to train and provide safety gear to workers, Galassi wrote. The manager had concluded that those above him had “no respect for the hazards of the chemicals on site or human life,” the memo says.
This story was jointly reported by The Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit investigative news outlet, and WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio.
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Leave a Comment:
$$ is all that matters and EVERYONE loves it that way.
Everyone? Yes, I'm sure Mr Centeno had $$$ on his mind while he was in excruciating pain from his untreated burns. /sarcasm
He had money on his mind when he continued to work there after being blinded. He should have left that place. I don't understand why people kept working there in the unsafe conditions. It's not worth it.
I've never worked in any condition like this despite the fact that I've worked as a temporary clinical and clerical worker filling positions for the majority of my professional life. I've seen some horrid things (for example being asked to clean up medical waste without training, as I was hired to be a receptionist) I leave the same day they ask me to do the something that threatens my life.
Journal Journal: you really don't know why this man would rather have a job--any job, even a dangerous one--than be a full-time bum on the state's dime, huh? Why he'd prefer to be an active, working member of American life in a country that shows such derision towards "lazy Mexicans looking for free health care and a handout"? You really have to question his morals and his dedication to his family, huh?
Incidentally, I do so love the company's excuse about the rubber gloves: "they're expensive and the employees steal them." Funny that a simple morning check-in/evening check-out for equipment couldn't be established, huh? You don't turn in the gloves that you checked out, then it comes out of your paycheck--a much simpler solution than letting them do without.
Amen StandUp.....couldn't have said it better.
Not everyone. Just those making the majority of the money. And since when does making money force you one to completely disregard the safety and health of those working for you? This is the reason for unions, folks.
He had money on his mind when he continued to work there after being blinded. He should have left that place.
Either you're too lazy to work, or you should quit working the only job you've found because of safety issues, and be the so-called lazy bum again. Along with the fact that in the end he would have been labeled a moocher because he was most likely in the bottom 47% income bracket.
I wonder how much one of those in the top 2% would consider fair wages for themselves to do the same type of jobs?
Chaudary... Raani.... Sounds like an Indian owner/company that brought its Indian safety practices (none) to the U.S. Terrible thing to happen...
This is where the majority of American workers are headed - temporary and uninsured.
Yeah well, now he's not a hard working American Citizen... He's a dead American Citizen.
I don't know where people go off assuming that just because people refuse to work in jobs that have a high rate of death and injury, they are somehow lazy.
Face it, the family WANTED him to leave the job. He didn't. That was a mistake. He needed to leave and report them to the authorities. That would have been the moral thing to do, better for his family and for the rest of the workers at risk.
Yes, money is what makes the rich happy but that's not what really pisses me off. What really pisses me off is that there are people in the country that will work for Temporary Job Services. You are the ones causing this and it will take everyone to put an end to it. I know what your thinking if you don't take the jobs illegal does will! There are things we can do about that also, it's called turning them in and following them when you find them. Follow them home, follow them to work! If you don't know where to find them go to your local Temporary Job Servers or your local Welfare Office. The Social Security Office is another hang out for them. We need to make the changes before we have more people getting hurt and more people without jobs or minimum wage jobs. Take pictures and turn them into INS before you are next to end up without a job.
Walmart treats their hourly employees like commodities and from my experience these staffing companies are just as bad, if not worse. You are either an asset or a liability.
You are CONFUSED---It sure is nice to say don't take the job, and let your family starve--- but good people want nothing more than to be able to bring home a pay-check. A Temp job always holds the possibility of a full time offer, a possibility of being able to be proud, a chance to start the American Dream. Now you think it is there fault? Corporations take advantage of them and you blame the victim.
I am obviously going blind. Where are all the posters who - prior to the election - claimed that private enterprise is always correct and that government just inferferes with business. Where are all these posters now?
After all - we all know that this business should be rewarded for lowering their costs in order to make additional profit. Who really needs safety equipment? Who really needs emergency treatment? Management's job is to ensure that accidents are not documented - not to prevent accidents. And this business should be thanked for opening up another job - it is not really their responisibility that this poor sucker died - after all, the republican mindset is that it is the employees responsibility to ensure that they are not endangering their own lives. The business only is responsible for profits.
ptownz, my sincerest prayer for you is that you be allowed to experience every nuance of what the deceased experienced prior to his death, and then live to see an buttmonkey like you come along and tell you how greedy you are.
Oh by the way, the society you helped create says everything, including human life has a price. I'd prefer to see people like Chaudray dead in public hangings, but the religion of capitalism and their phony God says the victim is expendable in the name of profit so people are forced to seek money in hopes of getting enough to call it justice.
Very distressing indeed.... sign
I just wish I had a job !
@Interested Observer
Have to make political discussion on the back of a workers tragic death, when you are ignorant and do not have real facts! Number one this company is owned by minority business owner presumably with an Indian surname. Many more companies with minority owners are cited by OSHA and watched dog organizations yearly than greedy republican business owners. Secondly your flawless leader Obama has been at the helm for over four years now, but you will try to blame this on Bush. You are completely blind if you do not think Obama and the Democrats did not take donations from business owners like this to win the election. Hell Obama probably used this individual as an example of a success story and someone who hired minorities. Just like some of the other businesses during the election that he championed, that when you looked into them, were shady at best. So get of your high horse and go after the failed regulators in that state and the company that used slave labor in high risk jobs. This also was in the State of Illinois and who was the former Senator in this State, Obama and could have implemented tough work place restrictions. Democrats in the state are trying to crush the unions, wake up. Republicans by the way are not talking about less regulation by government on worker safety or accountability, they are talking about stopping government from overtaking business and regulating it with laws to pay for cost that would drive them under.
Americans are mean to each other because for one, we do not protest or rebel against...
Its simply easier to hurt one another.
I've been in manufacturing management for over 2 decades, and I've left jobs that refused to bulk up safety conditions. Plants like that are not as common as this article implies, but when you find a bad one, it just amazes you how low some people will go. The majority of companies I've worked for have realized one simple truth: injuries cost the company more in the long run than safety equipment and PPE.
The plant I work in now does use temp workers. We don't use them in any skilled or hazardous position, and if we do have them working with any sanitation chemicals (it's a food plant), they must be trained on what they're doing and the hazards, and issued all necessary PPE before beginning. We are very meticulous about recording all injuries, whether full-time employees or temps.
This Chaudary guy seems like one boss I had in the past, with the attitude that the rules only matter if you get caught.
journal-journal, it's obvious that you have never really been in a position of struggling to get by before. This man did not quit his job because he had a young child at home and did not have another job. Therefore, he had no other way to try to support his family. You've also clearly never had the "pleasure" of working for a temporary agency before either. Absolutely you have the right to leave any job you are assigned to if there are safety violations - and the staffing agency also retains the right to be "unable" to locate further work for you after that. I was at one postion a few years ago where the temperatures in the office were around 55-60 degrees daily in the winter, I was expected to do my job without proper lighting (as in they refused to put lightbulbs in the overhead lights and there was no other light source) and the environment was the most hostile I've ever been in. I gave the agency 2 weeks notice that I couldn't handle it much longer and was subsequently black-balled by every staffing agency in that town within a week after calling it quits. So sure, he could have left when he saw how bad things were, but where exactly was he supposed to find another job so quickly?
I truly feel for Mr Centeno, I have been burned by overheated engine coolant on my left arm and neck, the pain was the worst I have ever felt
My heart aches for his gentleman. He was a hard working family man and all he wanted to do was provide for his family.
To think he went unattended for 98 minutes and in the type of pain that most of us will never know. Awful
peopleanimals who denied this man an ambulance.Well now he's dead. Is the family starving? No.
He should have left the job. I know that his children wished he had.
I have worked temporary for most of my professional life. What you allege happens is absolutely not true in any sense. Absolutely, positively false. No truth at all in your statement period.
Sometimes the work is hard, but never, ever, has any temporary agency I've worked with refused to assign me work based on my refusal to risk my life. At that clinic where I was asked to pick up medical waste, I was actually the third person to leave that assignment for the poor conditions of the work. After that the temporary agency cut ties with the clinic. I was found a new assignment immediately.
journal journal,Maybe you've never stayed at a job that was unsafe because you've never gone hungry or homeless.This isn't Mr.Centeno's fault by any stretch.The managers on site who didn't call 911 should be brought up on criminal charges along with the owner of this business.
This is just plain wrong. The company should be paying out millions for this. I don't fault anyone for taking "temporary work" over starvation. That worker's actions were dangerous. But his situation was forced on him. The actions of the management, however, are completely inexcusable. Yeah, Mr. Centeno had money on his mind -- to feed, clothe, and house himself and his family. And the company had cheating its workers on its mind.
Yeah but I'm still alive, so I may just have a chance to feel hungry. Where there is life there is hope.
All kidding aside, I'm glad that this is getting taken care of. But if anyone is working at dangerous jobs because they think their children need more money, they've got their priorities crossed. Children need their parents. Even if all they have are beans and hand-me-downs.
My dad worked nights as a janitor to support us, and we were very poor when I was a child. We were always in debt. We lived in a basement apt that always flooded. Did I care? No. Did I even notice? No. I was happy when daddy came home! That's what mattered most to me.
Maybe some of you people who think this man was just desperate are right. But he was too desperate. He should have gone home, Like his family wanted him to. They begged him to leave that job. They did not want him there.
Just a little bit more and few pushes, then we can get the working conditions the same as in China. Hey, it creates jobs, who care about employees as long as corporations can show record profits, right?
journal journal -- "I have worked temporary for most of my professional life. What you allege happens is absolutely not true in any sense. Absolutely, positively false. No truth at all in your statement period."
Liar.
Reported for personal attack. Come on, COinFL, you know the rules. And whether or not you think my statement is true or false is pretty irrelevant. I worked as a temp worker for more than 11 years. 3 of those years were spent in the same assignment at a chemical company where standards were quite high in safety... surprisingly the worst conditions were in the medical field particularly nursing homes. I never could work there for very long before I was asked to do something dangerous or something I wasn't trained for.
I could have stayed, yeah, but I didn't. I'm glad I didn't. I didn't starve and I'm still working, though now I'm permanently employed at a safe job... I found it through my temp agency. :)
The fact is, no one will value your life more than you do. If you're risking life and limb because your managers are too dumb and uncaring to train you or store proper equipment, why bother having a job? Someone willing to take that risk might as well sell their kidneys on eBay. Personally, I would rather be whole than rich. And I'd rather go hungry than die.
If you go sufficiently hungry, you still die. Starvation is not pleasant. Obviously, he did not consider dying on the job to be a sure bet. How great a risk of dying on the job would you take to avoid a 100 percent guaranteed starvation?
Pvblivs: That's a hysterical hypothetical situation. I'm sure they would find food somewhere. Let's be real. His wife says "expenses were piling up" no one was hungry or starving in this family. I'm sure at 8.25 an hour, they qualified for food stamps.
Do you not realize that before he died he was blinded in his right eye for days? Come on. I mean, how could anyone stay at a job when they were nearly blinded by the negligence. Is your eye worth 8.25 an hour? If you think finding work is hard now, try doing it when you are permanently disabled.
journal journal --
My statement is no different than yours. That's why I included the quotation from your very own post. Let me do it again: " What you allege happens is absolutely not true in any sense. Absolutely, positively false. No truth at all in your statement period."
It sounds to me like you are calling someone a liar. Maybe you should report yourself.
I was just more succinct.
Yeah, go tell the teacher on me, hypocrite.
Journal:
Not nearly hypothetical enough. Employers can pay such low wages because that is a reality for too many people. They don't say "if you don't like it, there's the door" unless they are sure "the door" is not a viable option for you.
But if he quits, they are automatically disqualified. The government considers it "not trying hard enough to hold a job." At least that's the way it is here in Arizona.
This story is about our race-to-the bottom American culture where cheaper is perceived as better and American companies get away with hiring employees at the lowest possible wage and treating them like commodities. I am sure this man had no health insurance, and thus, the American taxpayers are being forced to pay corporate welfare on behalf of companies like Raani, who partake of a form of corporate welfare when they pay their workers poverty level wages and offer them no benefits. This is positively disgusting. The ILLEGAL BLACK MARKET LABOR SCHEME is yet another way in which wages are devastated, workers are treated like crap, and American taxpayers are forced to finance the TRUE COSTS of these despicable, lawbreaking operations!
In addition to criminal charges this Raani company should have to pay millions in civil damages to this man's family in order to dissuade such further deplorable conduct.
Sally in Chicago
This is where the majority of American workers are headed - temporary and uninsured.
#1.8 - Sun Jan 6, 2013 3:52 PM PST
---------------------------
Sally, I'm afraid you're correct. Temps are much cheaper than directly-hired labor, and companies don't have to pay to extend any sort of paid leave to them, nor offer any medical benefits or any retirement plans to them, since they're considered, "At-Will, Hire and Fire Subcontractors."
In the U.S where "the bottom line," reigns supreme, I suspect this has been trend for American labor markets, ever since the reduction of labor union membership and the rise of, "Right-for-Business-to-Work States." And unless you have job security, banks are reluctant to award car or home loans to temp labor. Sure, there are exceptions, but the don't make the rule.
In my experience, most temp workers find it hard -- if not impossible -- to earn a lasting piece of the American Dream, for lack of personal financial security due to the hiring contract's inherent lack of job security. And you want your contract to be bought out by the client company? Odds are, you'll have to compete hard against other temps for that possibility, and your reward as becoming a permanent employee of the company won't happen anytime soon -- if at all.
Temp agency jobs may suit some people who have a niche to fill and plan to move on, but it's far from the best deal you can get if you have a family to support, and if there's no other available type of jobs out there.
Being a temp is a crap shoot you can afford to play when you're young, but it become an unacceptable cut-throat game of seeing who can keep their job with full-time hours, and who slides into poverty for the bills and debts piling up for lack of job security, when you're older.
I refuse to work for temp services. They are the reason IMO that so many remain unemployed for so long. You can't even drop a resume off at many places who need help. They are contracted to take people from a service.I was laid off for over a year when my previous employer of 32 years decided Chineese need to work more than the americans who built the company did. I signed up with temp services but would not take a temp job. They have permanent positions as well if you push them. I see no reason why I should be paying a temp service part of my wage and live on minimum wage because of it. The employer is still paying a better wage than most think but the temps service gets a very big cut.
At any rate I too refuse to work in unsafe conditions. Never have done and never will. If I feel something is risking my health and safety I tell my supervisor. If he doesn't take me seriously i go over his head. Many many people complain about unions and how they have cost us jobs. This is only one of the major reasons unions came to be. Companies tend to spend as little as possible on safety and tend to ignore unsafe work conditions because it costs too much. Workers are not human beings to companies like this one. Just numbers and are expendable and replacable because of temp services. Whenone complains they ask for a different worker. this puts the worker in a bad spot. If you get replaced too many times then you won't get an assignment. Then if you complain to many temp services about safety issues they ignore it as well. Bad times are gonna get worse for the American worker as unions are forced out. If you think the federal government will take care of it your day dreaming. I have experienced lack of concern forworkers in my last job. There were plenty of federal regulations regarding some of the issues. the problem with many of those regulations is they are simply "strong suggestions" not legally binding laws.The 3rd world is coming to a company near you. If you don't think so, wait 20 years and get back with me.
The American worker-temporary, no benefits, no rights-the Teapublican dream in action. Protect those 2%'s and make sure American businesses can duck their costs to have real employees. Same mentality lets them rape the environment and charge the clean-up to the American citizens to protect profits and dividends. When will the average Joes stop drinking the teabag koolaid?
Corporations are people too, my friends. Just not very nice ones. Let's treat them as people: this corporation should get the death penalty. Dissolve it. Seize it's assets and disperse them to the injured parties. Jail the corporate heads and managers. Too bad for the investors but they should be more careful where they invest. Alright congress of the people get right on this.
Best damn idea on this entire rag.
Sadly, this story isn't surprising. Many large companies want the "appearance" of a strong safety program, but only if it doesn't cost much or create any inconvenience. The Safety Managers get caught in the middle with upper management down-playing the concerns and some employees not wanting to follow procedure or use PPE when provided.
Risk Management in some cases only applies to the "risk of losing money". HR pushes the use of Employee Occ Health rather than having logical decision guides for when emergency care is needed. I get it that some of this is in reaction to Work Comp abusers, but sadly, employees with legitimate injuries ae the ones hurt the most.
You have to love the CEO's comment that if the employee hadn't died, not calling 911 would have been the right decision. . . uh, yeah, right and Mrs. Lincoln would have enjoyed the play if it hadn't been for that unfortunate incident. . . (sarcasm intended)
republicans would call the rules bad for business, the democrats will ignore them if you bribe them enough.
Stand up
You are wrong about the length of time not making a difference. The severity of a burn increases because the heat stays in the burn. In the case of chemical burns, it is even possible that this man's death could have been prevented if he had been given access to an emergency shower on site. Chemicals don't stop burning when they encounter flesh. The burning action continues. Ever hear of napalm?
This man might have survived his burns and their severity might have been minimized by appropriate emergency response. The indifference of both the employer and the temp agency is criminal and I sincerely hope that both agencies are prosecuted for reckless endangerment and homicide. That is what this was.
These corporate monsters are proliferating like rabbits. This is why we need OSHA (with a much better enforcement and inspection budget) and unions. The fact that we have not taken any action to protect workers in this country only proves that we are fast headed for third world status. The next story may well be about another Triangle Fire.
Wake up, America! This is what the Tea Party wants for all of us. Right to Work is really only the right to starve and die.
Unfortunately, we are going to see a lot more part time employees because of the new health care employeer requirements.
"Right to Work" = "Right of Employers to Treat Workers as Animals"...
Armed Wombat
republicans would call the rules bad for business, the democrats will ignore them if you bribe them enough
Republicans are for rules, just something less than a nanny state. Surprisingly, most businesses don't mind rules, just not so many of them because too many costs money. Democrats are all for rules, and are the first to scream "that's not fair, you broke the rules". And sadly, while everyone is looking away from the democrat at the "rule breaker" they often aren't following the rules either.
DB --
In your rush to defend republicans (which this story really isn't about), you post something dumb. You're usually better than that.
I do agree with you that ArmedWombat's post also missed the point of the article; this issue should not be one that people automatically take partisan sides. I have many republican friends that have worked for temp agencies and would testify to the deplorable working conditions and unfair practices.
Did anyone get to the last paragraph? I believe it tells the WHOLE story in a few words. The rest are just details.
This folks, is the race to the bottom we're running.
REPUBLICAN Senator Jerry Behn, anti-gay, anti-welfare, anti-government spending.
Has received over $800,000 in tax payer money as a grain farmer in the last 15 years despite record land and grain prices and farm incomes.
Supports giving $100 million in tax incentives to an Egyptian company while proposing nothing to help save an Iowa company and it's 100 plus good paying jobs suffering from foreign competition and a bad economy.
Supported a proposed law that would force private property owners to allow guns on their property but oppose forcing farmers to take steps to protect public drinking water sources from being contaminated by their operations.
Supported proposed legislation that would allow "christians" to discriminate against people who didn;t share their beliefs while protecting christians from discrimination because of their beliefs.
Started the movement to remove Supreme Court judges who voted to over turn a ban on gay marriage, said ruling based on the fact that Iowa's Constitution didn't allow it. Then hid behind an anti-gay organization and distanced himself from it to avoid political fallout. At the same time, refused to condemn his own churches ongoing coverup and prtection of child raping priests.
The Iowa GOP recognizes a morally depraved man like Newt Gingrich as a leader and allows catholic polticians to slam gays while giving their own church a free pass on child raping priests.
Spare your delusions about the republican party, they're just as corrupt a pig as the democrats.
Yawn----5 AM....look on MSNBC. Oooops, problem in America...the fix? Another Government program and more regulation. Nice.
We have THE ONE, why hasn't this been fixed? even funnier how so many drones think we need to seize and disperse the assets of the company-----ummmmm......wealth redistribution. Seems to be the mindset of the lazy out there. In the good ol' days you could quit your job and have another in a few days (you know, like 20 or so years ago). Welcome to the new norm. YOU work multiple part time jobs with no benefits and are on the gov. dole for your health care. Congratulations America. You deserve it!
When I was a temp I was sent to work at a computer warehouse company that rhymes with "Hell." We were to work 10 hour shifts with one half hour unpaid lunch break and no safety equipment. After 5 hours of nonstop lifting and stocking I saw that some of the permanent workers had back support braces and I asked the supervisor for one, knowing that without one I was a back strain waiting to happen. He refused, saying that it was the responsibility of the temp agency to provide me with anything. Even though they had them for their own permanent employees just for the asking. When I asked him why, believe it or not, he said it was because of "liability."
I walked off that assignment and reported the incident to the agency. Needless to say they never found me another assignment and I went with another agency after that.
Not only do the companies not care for their temp workers, the agencies don't either. You may be their employee, but the company is their client and there's plenty more temps to throw at the wall. Neither has any obligation for the welfare of the temp.
The idea that temporary work leads to permanent employment is bullsh!t too. It may have been the case at one time but not anymore.
Vacation pay, bonuses,access to protective equipment, and even basic rights are far different between permanent and temporary workers too.
Just try filing a complaint about safety, treatment or working conditions and see what happens. You won't be working for very long afterwards and most likely won't be seeing another assignment offered either.
CONTRACT / CONTINGENT WORKERS UNITE !!!
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW !!!!!!!
The agency should have notified the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board). You, as an individual, also have the right to call them and question the actions of the employer.
The agency demonstrated as much lack of concern as the company itself.
Nobody followed the rules and did the right thing--not even the employee that drove that poor man to the clinic rather than the emergency room. Sadly, it's highly unlikely that arriving at the hospital sooner would have made a difference in this particular case, given the severity of his burns. Once a patient is burned past a certain percentage, the odds for their survival drop dramatically; for example, a patient with 70% burns has only a 50% chance of survival.
Companies don't care about ANY ONE except the rich people that run them.
I had simmilar happen to me..(no, not burned/died obviously)
December of 2011 I was working in a factory under a temp agency, all was fine the first week, second week started having pain / numbness in my hands/wrists.. I went to my family doctor who had an EMG performed by a doctor in a hospital to test for carpal tunnel/cubital tunnel disorder. The temp agency would not acknowledge this had anything to do with repetitive motions of the hands in the factory (which had us moving like robots for minimum wage).
The temp agency sent me to the same hospital to a different docotor there that wrote it off as nothing..
To make matters worse..we were unknowingly (at first for the first 20 or so pallets of product) packaging/repackaging plants/planters/planting materials shipped from China as "Made in the U.S.A." ..
As for my problems with my hands..I ended up having surgery on both hands and my left elbow, carpal tunnel surgery both hands, cubital tunnel release left elbow.. which left me unable to work for 7 months..all the while.. I had a newborn daughter on March 1st 2012..
Merry Christmas from Onesource staffing services Pottsville PA and Fanelli Trucking/warehouse Pottsville PA.
Not like Anything will come out of any of it..But think twice before you buy plant products from a company named Buzzy (and yes their "mascot" is a bee)
And of course they shot down any workers compensation I tried to claim..didn't go through court or lawyer of course.
cbo, two weeks to develope carpal tunnel???
I call bs
Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when a combination of health conditions and activities puts pressure on the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel in your wrist. This pressure leads to symptoms. Anything that decreases the amount of space in the carpal tunnel, increases the amount of tissue in the tunnel, or increases the sensitivity of the median nerve can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Things that help cause carpal tunnel syndrome include:
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common work-related condition. It can be caused by work that requires:
Dan, I call BS on your whole post...
Dan, I had worked for 11 years in food service in lead cook/chef positions..was unemployed for 5 years..no work at all and then went back to find work, the way things were with our lovely economy..at that time people with masters degrees were having difficulty finding work (in 2011)...
You need not tell me what carpal tunnel symptoms/causes are. Have you ever worked in a sweat shop? was basically what this place was..no heat middle of December in Pennsylvania.
I spent a long time recovering ..also had some post-op problems one of which had me in the hospital for a week...
I had no symptoms of any nerve problems prior to my employment there.
First thing my doctor did was send me for the EMG when I seen her. (a test where they place electrodes in your limbs. and apply current to them and monitor it via computer.) I tested positive for moderate carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists and my ulnar nerve in my Left elbow posted the same.
"Forceful or repetitive hand movements.
And yes, that summed up that whole "work" experience..
(as this "Job" was 12-14 hours / day with a half-hour unpaid lunch and was 5 days/week..nothing too odd there..as work is work.)
Had no symptoms or problems of numbness or pain due to nerves in my past.
I did break my left wrist about 8 years prior to this occuring (I am right hand dominant). but that is all I had ever had wrong with my upper extremities.
Just went and tried to aquire some kind of employment. My girlfriend of 6 years was 6 months pregnant. Christmas was there. and wanted to try to do the right thing.
Was just wrong how I got the cold shoulder, I did everything by the books. called the temp agency and informed them I had an injury, called the warehouse where I was working at and informed them, seen the temp agencies' doctor who agreed I could not return to that job and they needed to find me a new one.
My doctor had told the temp agency I could not return to that specific job and by my state's laws they are required to find me new work. Which of course never happened, I simply asked about worker's comp and they pretty much treated me like scum.
This does not surprise me. I was an office temp for years. Companies in general treat temps like dirt. It is the company which does not treat the temps like dirt that is the rare case.
If you don't like the way a company treats it's temp employees then don't go to work for them dumb azz.
Willow Sunstar,My sister was a temp for a couple of years and never was treated any differently than the other employees.You can only be treated badly if you allow it to happen.
Office temp work is different than construction or manufacturing temp work. Office temp work could possibly lead to a full time job, construction temp work not very likely.
CONTRACT / CONTINGENT WORKERS UNITE !!!!!!!
The time to fight for your rights is NOW !!!!!!!
It's called UNIONS. You know the things that republicans have been trying to break for decades because companies like the one in this article want to treat their employees like cheap disposable tools. Without Unions this will happen more and more and workers become chattel for companies to destroy at will all in the name of profit.
Sandy: oh, come now! Surely ALL companies and employment agencies are on the up-and-up! Why, after all, who needs dirty little union hands on people's lives when these businesses are CLEARLY bound by law to provide adequate safety and equality for their workers? It's impossible to even think that any real American business would dare endanger their employees by caring more about the bottom line! Pshaw! We's all doan' need no lookin'-after by some union that's just gonna take ours-'n money an' be big ol' union bullies!
Why, c'mon, us 'mericans know how to look after their own. (unless they have no health insurance, place to live, money for food, or even funds for a proper burial...)
Hey come on, we simply can't compete with China and India unless we kill a few temporary workers once in a while! (sarcasm) Pay them dirt, no benefits and fire them if they complain. The temp agencies are a scam, if they somehow do get hammered for violations, they just close down and re-open under a different name. The people that run these might as well be pimps.
I've seen these kinds of things and through the years it just keeps getting worse. The people that have to work for these guys really have little choice. Often it's the only jobs available for someone without a degree. But then there is another tier of these temp agencies that pimp out degreed professionals too. These are your "high class prostitutes". Often laid off by the very same employers who hire them back as temporaries.
As the article points out, in industrial and manufacturing environments, often the kind of jobs they give to temporaries are the ones they have trouble getting their own employees to do. It makes it much easier to skirt safety concerns and accidents will more likely go unreported.
I know of a rather large company, (one whose name many would recognize), that runs regular large staffs of temporary workers in some big plants. They have a "safety incentive program", that offers all the work group bonuses when they have no accidents. That means that when somebody gets hurt it's going cost him and his co-workers a $50 or so bonus on their check. They have a "code" among the workers. "Walk it off or face a 'sock party' after work". Often the first line supervisor is a temp too covered by the same program, only his bonus is a few bucks higher. So then even the bosses encourage workers not to report injuries. Although the temp company doesn't authorize this kind of behavior, they in fact encourage it and joke about it. No doubt it is exactly what their "safety program" is designed to do.
Frankly I think a couple things need to be done to address these abuses of workers. For one OSHA ought to categorize them differently and require more stringent rules as well as more frequent inspections. Somebody has a violation and it re-occurs, triple the fines and triple all the enforcement efforts. As to companies that hire temporaries, they ought to pay a special tax for every hour of work that goes into a fund for training and safety programs. If a company has more than 20% temporary work hours, double the tax.
Unless we take action this will just keep getting worse and will just become normal practice. It already is in a lot of places. The practice of using temporary workers and contract employee, (pretty much the same thing), is destroying the middle class. Proponents say it keeps jobs from being exported. Maybe, but it isn't the way to address that problem. Bringing third world wages and employee treatment practices here to the US doesn't really solve anything. How does a person working for $8.25/hr support a family?That's about $16,500/year if they can do it full time. Most of these workers have to try to get any overtime they can just to be able to pay bills, which pretty much leaves no time for any career improvement. No time to even look for better jobs. No time or money to improve their education. And then Republicans will bitch when they apply of food stamps to feed their kids! These people are pretty much trapped in this situation.
@StandUpJokeOff
LOL, your argument only happen in ideal world where everyone care about each others and follow the rules. Sadly the reality is companies and corporations only care about PROFITS, PROFITS AND MORE PROFITS.
They would do anything and everything for more money, that is a simple truth.
It illustrates a sad part of human nature. I worked a temp construction job once (as a commercial electrician). There were probably 30-40 of us at any one time helping the company of full time electricians complete the job on time. Even though some of us knew more than the permanent employees, some of them (and I emphasize SOME) treated us all like dirt. It was only through trying to understand (meditation after work) that I realized that they behaved this way because of fear. Fear that they would be downsized into temporary workers in the near future. In an attempt to avoid facing the truth that their company would downsize them in a minute, it was easier for their limited intellects to laugh at others who had "fallen" before them.
Temp agencies are the scum of the earth; not just in the industrial labor sector, but also in white color staffing. I worked as a temp for years, often sent to assignments where the employees were from hell. Each time, there had been a history of the agency sending temp after temp to the same assignment; all the while knowing the work environment wasn't suitable for anyone. Most of this involved verbal and sexual abuse. On one assignment, one of the salesmen would spend hours on his phone telling his friends how he worked over some "bitch." It was the most disgusting description of a sexual encounter I had ever heard. The temp agency knew about that charachter, but didn't have the balls to say one word to the employer about him. On top of all that, temp agencies and their clients love to pass the ball back and forth to each other. Neither of them ever want to take responsibility for anything. And don't be fooled, the agency may quote you an hourly rate, say for example of ten bucks, but you can bet the agency is billing the client as if they're paying you sixteen, and then pocketing the difference. Of course, you are always warned never to discuss pay with the client.
My only experience with a temp agency--good or bad--came when I had a one-day job as a fill-in secretary. No other agencies that I have ever applied to has given me work. One of them used the excuse of "we don't need a super-duper typist right now"... as if that's all I could do simply because typing is my strongest skill. I kept getting pigeonholed and not being put towards any work assignments, manual labor or otherwise, as a result.
My overall impression is that they want to hire and need to hire ignorance--someone to work for the lowest possible dollar who doesn't know anything about OSHA, MSDS, and all them-there other lovely acronyms. I'm ex-military and I *do* know, both through civilian and military employment (I started off doing diesel engine repair, then became a photographer--worked with my share of chemicals in both instances). I know what is and isn't permitted by law, and what safety steps certain companies need to take. And that's a bad thing, having both the knowledge and experience to potentially blow the whistle.
I just recently stopped doing temp work. The agency only cares when you're making money for them. As soon as there is any problem on a job site, the solution is simple. End the temporary assignment for the employee and protect the agency's relationship with the employer.
And you worked for this agency for years? Or different agencies for years? WHY???
Maybe because Ron couldn't find a full-time job? That's a not uncommon situation.
National Labor Relations Board is the agency to call if working conditions are illegal. They have the teeth to extract money from the offending companies. If enough people report these companies maybe a turn-around of attitude and actions by them might be seen.
You're assuming NLRB reps in your area are not taking bribes to ignore complaints. Don't count on it.
Being a temp sucks. Try to get a home loan - even if you are paid well.
You are just a turd to your client and your employer. Best of both worlds.
I wonder when the people are going to finally rise up.
Temp agencies are the new en-slavers of people who want to, and need to work. They offer no incentives and no benefits at all, and demand total compliance, generally. But then again, when you have a need to earn to live, and you have agencies like those, and added in employers like the one above, It is a disgusting disgrace to American ideals that they both get off mostly with a slap. And people needing to pay their life's expenses will not "rock the boat" and make complaints known. OSHA is good, but they are also victims of the republican desire to cut expenses for those "job givers". Their funding has been slashed, and as a result, OSHA doesn't have the necessary numbers to properly inspect those employers who abuse their employees, temp or permanent.
Yeah,if the republicans were not in charge of the country we would be better off. (rolls eyes)
South Asian Indians are the WORST business owners on this planet. They treat all their workers like expedible commodities. The owner should be scalded to death with hot cooking oil. Must have learned human resource management from the Nazis.
Temp workers/contract workers, especially those who do not speak English, are what is known as "disposible workers" to most companies, especially those in the construction trades. Companies are REQUIRED to provide personal protective equipment (ppe) to ALL workers, regardless of permanent or temp. They are also REQUIRED to provide a safe working enviroment, regardless of status.
Too many companies have the attitude of "screw you, I'll do what I damn well please" to government regulations regarding worker safety and then get PO'd when they get caught and fined.
Also, remember this - OSHA and the states that run their own state OSHA plans (see OSHA.GOV) can only do but so much when the winds up on the hill blow toward NOT litigating on behalf of the workers. In addition, with budget cuts, the fact that this company wasn't inspected since the 90s shows that there are NOT enough inspectors to get the job sufficiently done. That not only pertains to federal OSHA but state plan OSHAs as well. The result is - companies know this and they know they'll get away with it because there's not enough people to do the inspections. Then, if they ARE fined, there is often political pressure NOT to pursue the matter, regardless of how bad it is, because it would "hurt business."
In the end- a person loses their life, and companies don't give a rip because it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$.
I don't see what the problem is, you have a company owned by an Indian, these people do not care about there own people let alone anyone else, just like their country they are a complete waste of humanity. All of them should be kicked out of the country.
The problem is NOT who owns it. The PROBLEM IS that the owner (and it doesn't matter one's nationality) didn't give a damn to provide a safe working envireoment and FOLLOW THE LAWS to do so.
I've seen white owners who don't give a damn as long as they do the work and keep their mouths shut. People like this don't care about anyone. They care ONLY for the $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Just to give you the other side of the coin. My employer uses some temp workers in our production areas. This way, we can find out about their work skills and they about our jobs. We have hired some good people that way, but also have found others that we don't want back.
And FYI, we outsource the heavy duty tank cleanings to a company that works with hazardous waste as their line of business
That is one of the responsible and intended use of temp employees--for an employer to test out how to expand their operations and hire solid employees. The other use, of course, is to hire for seasonal/temporary assignments and events. The problem is that too many businesses are relying on temp agencies as their main pool of workers and, thus, they're hiring people that are not suited for the job they've been given, couldn't care less about the quality of their work and how much time it takes, and are otherwise bad for business.
One thing everyone should remember is that this temporary employee was not given any safety equipment to wear! And after getting injured the factory refused to call 911. They failed big time and should be closed down and taken to court! This is criminal!
yeah, like for how long? i worked for bell atlantic/verizon and they had temps, college grad temps, working there for up to 2.5 years, and this was over 10 years ago! then when the people got sick of it and voted to bring in the union, they "got tough" and started doing anything they could to get rid of them, background checks (after 2.5 years), drug tests, etc.
when you're saying you outsource the tank cleanings, there is a very good reason, because that is probably the most dangerous job and your company doesn't want the litigation and loss potential, not because they want it done in the best manner.
and another thing, once a company starts down the road toward heavy temp hiring, watch your future. it will only be a matter of time before they outsource the whole place. just like we did. it's shut down now.
Capitalism is a wonderful system.
That's what's happening in the software development division where I work. The last 10 new hires have all been temporary contract programmers on H1B visas.
That's why their called TEMPORARY WORKERS-----If ANYTHING HAPPENS(Including Dying), They can be REPLACED. This Definition can also APPLY to "Permanent" workers as well since were all Hired & Fired "At WILL". Isn't "Unregulated" Capitalism Great !!! Why does the Sole economic system that "Works" have NO SOUL ?
But it does NOT mean that they be treated differently safety wise as permanent workers. That's the LAW.
JKLD --There is no law that says the temp gets "right to Know" prior to starting work --it just has to be done once a year at the company.
Vssionquest,
Again, temp workers are NOT to be treated differently than permanent workers with regards to workers' safety. If you think they are, you're sorely mistaken. Tho the worker is working for the agency, the company that he's on the job for has the total responsiblity to ensure his safety. Personal negeligence is one thing, but the company's neglegicence to adequately make sure ALL workers are safe is another. Check OSHA standards at www.osha.gov.
raymond,
Does it really work? Or does it just work for the people at the top of the money pile?
The use of temp employees, frees up the business from having to provide insurance, and many other benefits, which then ups their own bottom line...profit. There is no need to expect anything from an employer as any employee can be terminated for any or no reason at all. Not all employers are bottom feeders, some are decent. But these days, with many still unemployed, and corporations still wanting to reduce expenses, employees become fodder for them. And as well, with those corporate blood sucking insurance corporations, now wanting to raise rates for insurance premiums yet again by double digits, and many employers not wanting to provide any insurance, leaving the employee to get their own, these are the folks who will get their premiums jacked up double digits. The insurance corporations aren't even blaming anything for the increases, they are just doing it. What will result, up until the healthcare reform does take full effect, is that it won't only be the temps hit hard, but regular employed as well.
I like your reasoning, but I don't think most have thought that far. Insurance, for this next year, for my family, not just Health, has increased. My auto insurance increased by 14%, with no tickets or accidents, and we've been with this same company for over 11 years, with only one minor claim over ten years ago. We've paid that claim in premiums by at least 5 times since we've been with them, and this isn't because of credit ratings since my husband and I are over 800. There is no reason for this other than greed, and the excuse the insurance company is getting, due to the current political environment. Health insurance increased 32% for my family, through a company paid program, because of Obamacare, for the same coverage. Askk me if I'm pissed?
Of course. Temps, part timers and contractors are disposable to the corporate world.
and the "permanent" as well. i've been there too.
I was a independant consultant for 43 years. Consultants were always given the tougher jobs and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Corporate Pig America at its best. Not caring about any thing but money.
OMG! This is horrible!!! I am shocked that OSHA has not closed this factory down for all the safety violations and all the injuries. People that are struggling to support their families will work anywhere under any condition to feed and shelter their families. This factory better be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and be closed down! I feel for the family, I really do, this is so sad, so tragic! I hope they sue and win! Sometimes factories and corporations only change when they are hit in their pocketbooks.
If the factory is shut down, lots more people will be unemployed. Better to force the factory to have adequate safety practices, and to take better care of anyone injured.
Or the company can just say that the additional expense of adequate safety practices will be so expensive that they'll need to shut down and move their operation offshore.
Unfortunately, temp workers don't receive adequate safety training, and they usually don't get enough experience to do dangerous work safely.
Temps often lack basic safety training and in a lot of instances are fearful of losing employment. The unscrupulous Temp Agencies send folks that may be semi literate and/or non English speaking to these locations and do not CARE to understand the on site hazards or CHOOSE to ignore them. Fine the employer fine the company owner and since this instance is a Fatality JAIL TIME FOR SOMEONE!! Also the permanent employees often are hostile to temps and uncaring to the degree of complicity!!
I have a lot of training that is mandated for full time employees, and it is done annually, the amount of training mandated for a temp on their first day is not very much----companies with out a conscious can (and I am sure do) take advantage of this. "Right to Know" is not required before starting work and temp help are so glad to have work, they do not raise the issue of safety. This is one reason why corporations are in favor of less government interference (republican).
It seems to me that the US is moving backwards in regards to human rights, economics, workplace protections, and almost everything that is corporate, institutional, or government based. I feel so sorry for these people. They are being exploited, like human trafficking victims; for cheap, or uncompensated, slave labor. People, there is something going on that does not bode well for any of us. Our freedoms and opportunities are being eroded, in a clear and systematic way, the standard of living for most people has been going steadily down for the last generation; and all you hear from the people running this joint is "It is getting better, it is turning around, there are brighter days ahead."
Really? Where? In what economic sector is opportunity on the upswing? In what part of society are you seeing improvement? I don't see it. The people do not see it.
The unpleaseant truth is that the people running USA, INC. are not investing in the US anymore. Where is the infrastructure bill? Transportation? Bridges? Airports? Modernize water systems? Broadband the entire country? Electric Grid? Nothing?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Hal?
Bueller? Anyone there?
I have been working since I was 16. I worked pretty much from 1975 to 2011, with a few years off for raising a family. The cupboard is bare, people, in most corporate jobs. Less than 20 years ago, in the industries in which I worked; the pay was higher, the benefits broader, and there were perks galore. Now, not so much.
The corporations are out of control; and it is really difficult to determine which consortium works more diligently to destroy opportunity for the american people. Is it the corporations or the Governments?
Has anyone ever seen them in the same place at the same time?
Anyone?
Bueller? Hal?
Anyone?
Cyn - you are spot in asking those questions. If anyone ever travels to Western Europe or cities in Asia they will find modern, technologically advanced transportation systems, beautiful urban areas with modern architecture. But what do you find in America? NOTHING that compares with the modernity that the rest of the world has built. High speed train networks, broadband accessibility everywhere, cleaner and more aesthetically designed urban centers, top notch inner-city public transportation including environmentally sound buses and trams, etc. This list goes on and it proves that over the last 40 years we have totally neglected our infrastructures, our lands, our cities, our forests. And I ask for what? What was more valuable than the well being of our nation? Why was this done? And why are there only two people talking about this (cyn and myself included)?
Typical of companies run by East Indians -- they have no concern for taking care of their people.
We dont need unions, we can trust the corporations to look out for whats best for their workers. Union have outlasted their use. Thats what the Koch brothers and their Republican kind want you to think. These are also the majority of your Christians who have been hijacked to think that only republicans have Christian values. The first guys life was worth $473,000 in fines? Nice. There is corruption within unions just like management, but for the most part, union members are hard working people who just want to work an honest day for an honest days pay.