Posts tagged "subcontractors"

As discussed in the previous post, ProPublica recently did another in-depth story about the issue of contractor safety on cell tower work sites as part of an ongoing investigation by journalists. The newest article tells the story of a 43-year-old worker who died after an antenna fell on his head on a work site. The antenna broke off a faulty rope while he and other workers walked below fellow workers without hard hats on their way to a lunch break.

The personal injury lawsuit filed by a co-worker and one of the deceased worker's family members sought to figure out whom would be held responsible for the negligence on the site and the death of the subcontractor, but these were difficult things to sort out, as detailed by ProPublica.

As discussed in previous posts, contractors who work on cell towers can face dangerous workplaces, and it is difficult to figure out who to hold responsible after an injury or death on a cell tower work site. This is because often these contractors are a few times removed from the cell phone company that ordered and uses the site.

Cell phone companies hire a contractor to do the work on the cell tower site and these contractors, in turn, hire contractors who may do the work or hire another company to provide the workers.

In the end, any subcontractor who gets hurt or dies likely worked for a company other than the cell phone company. The workers have few rights and safety rules and equipment to keep them safe because they may work as contractors for a small company with few resources and no big company has taken the responsibility to keep them safe.

As discussed in the previous post, a recent investigative story by ProPublica and PBS Frontline looked into the dangers associated with working on cellphone service towers. These dangerous jobs are often contracted out and contracted out by contractors so that the work is done by subcontractors a few times removed from cellphone companies. This means that it is difficult to determine who to hold accountable when a tower climber is injured or killed on the job.

Because consumer demand is high for faster cellphone service, the time pressure is great for cellphone companies and the subcontractors who work on the towers. Many times this time pressure leads to drowsy and fatigued workers cutting corners to save time, such as free-climbing rather than strapping into a harness. The fact that the work gets filtered through many middlemen means that subcontractors try to cut costs where possible, which means that safety equipment may not be up to par and a job may not have enough workers.

Often subcontractors are used for dangerous jobs in an effort by companies to reduce their responsibility for ensuring safety and their financial risk should there be an on-the-job accident. PBS Frontline and ProPublica ran an investigative story last night that looks into the dangers of working on cellphone service towers.

These jobs have increased as the demand for faster cellphone service has grown in the U.S. These jobs are often subcontracted out through many levels so that a cellphone company may be three times removed from a worker that is actually climbing a 150-foot tower. Between 2003 and 2011, 50 workers have died while climbing towers. It can be difficult to hold anyone accountable following a cell tower death because so many parties are involved in the climber's employment.