:: rawblogXport ::

:: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 ::

Co-workers present check to injured carpenter - By KEVIN D. ROBERTS, Torrington Register Citizen, CT
Wohlfert said he was overwhelmed by the way guys he worked with had stepped up and looked out for him.

'As you can tell, we don't give up,' said organizer Tim Sullivan of Local Union 24, Yalesville. 'We're in it for the long haul.

Sullivan and fellow organizer Bart Pacekoris of Local Union 43, Wethersfield, expressed dismay at the dangerousness of the job and the lack of thought Stop & Shop had put into safety on the site. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the store $24,000 for the accident, which Pacekoris said is too little. There were other violations, he said.

'I've put myself in his place,' Pacekoris said. 'I've been lucky a few times.'

Fourteen people died on construction sites in the state last year, he said.

'I just hope that Stop & Shop sees the gravity of the incident and takes care of Ben the way he should be taken care of,' Pacekoris said.

Fines should be a deterrent to further violations, he said.

Anyone interested in helping Ben's family can send a check to the Benjamin Wohlfert Family Fund, c/o Carpenters Local 43, 885 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford, Conn. 06014.

posted 5:12 PM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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